Bills to Ban Horse Slaughter Introduced in Congress

On Friday, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill in Congress to ban horse slaughter.  The John Rainey Memorial Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act would alter the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act so that all horse parts are deemed unsafe. In addition, it would prohibit the export of U.S. horse meat and horses bound for slaughter in another country for human consumption.  Consuming horse meat from animals raised in the U.S. “likely poses a serious threat to human health and the public should be protected from these unsafe products,” reads the bill sponsored by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD).  U.S. horses are frequently treated with drugs that aren’t approved for use in animals intended for human consumption, the bill text explained.  Horse slaughter is currently banned by an amendment included in the funding package for fiscal year 2015, but the provision prohibiting funding for inspections of horse slaughter plants is only in effect through September.  The House version of the bill was introduced on April 22 by Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) and has 50 Democrat and 20 Republican co-sponsors. The ban was also proposed in both the House and Senate back in 2013.