The Ban On Horse Processing Should No Longer Stand

In the year of 2007, congress, after relentless pressure from animal rights activists, enacted a ban on the United States horse slaughter industry. This left ranchers, farmers, and horses to face the consequences. While lobbyists meant to help the horses of America, they have negatively impacted these animals in many ways. The ban on horse processing should no longer stand because of what has become of the horse industry, and the life of American horses. It has led to more animal abuse than previously existed, negatively affected the horse industry and economy, and let the American equine population grow to nearly unmanageable heights. People say that Horses built America, and that is true. Because of their major contribution to the†¦show more content†¦As an immediate effect of the closure of American harvesting facilities, people began to ship horses to Mexico and Canada. In these countries, there are no laws governing the humane killing of animals. In these countries, horses have very little chance of dying painlessly. According to a report to Congress by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) the number of horses exported from the United States and then slaughtered increased from 33,000 in 2006 prior to the ban, to 138,000 in 2010, three years after the ban. (GAO, 12) In addition to the heartless killing tactics they now face, horses intended for slaughter now face extended transportation distances, which can prove hazardous. The ban of horse slaughter in the United States did not help these animals. Further problems that have arisen in relation to horse abuse include abandonment and neglect. Owners seeking to rid themselves of these costly animals, generally due to financial situations, have an increased difficulty in finding a place for their horses to go. This leads to abandonment or neglect. Horse owners who no longer want their horses, or cannot afford them anymore, face fewer options in getting unwanted horses off of their hands. Many owners turn to abandoning their horses, which constitutes animal abuse. They have a hard time finding other ways to rid themselves of an unwanted horse, apparently hard enough that