In late May, the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted the FY19 Agriculture Appropriations bill without funding for inspections for slaughter plants that process horses.
Without the funding for inspections, the effective ban on the slaughter of horses and burros for human consumption on U.S. soil remains.
Similar language was included in the FY18 omnibus spending bill and has been maintained in most spending bills since 2005.
Meanwhile, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 113/S.1706, which would impose a permanent ban on slaughtering horses, including exports of U.S. horses for slaughter in other countries, remains in committee. Similar bills have been introduced over the last several years but failed to move beyond committee before the Congressional session ended.
While it has been frustrating to not be able to get this legislation into law for many years, we will continue our fight to prevent horses from going across the borders to Canada and Mexico to be butchered.
Let's not forget to make those calls to our legislators