Canadian Horse Defence Coalition's Blog
The CHDC has learned from a valuable source that Les Viandes de la Petite-Nation horse slaughter plant (LPN) resumed operations on Thursday, February 23rd.
According to the source, LPN has now modified the plant to enable the use of a rifle instead of a captive bolt gun to stun horses and “obtain better results”.
Horsemeat from LPN is shipped exclusively to Europe and none is sold domestically in Canada. According to our source, LPN re-opened after completing modifications such as magnet-sealed doors to prevent people from entering the zone while the rifle is fired and the installation of better anti-skid floors to prevent animals from being injured.
The CHDC questions why the facility would resort to the use of a rifle to stun horses prior to slaughter. As clearly illustrated in footage captured at Viandes Richelieu in 2010 [ http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/chambers-of-carnage.html - click on video links], the flailing head of a terrified horse is a moving target, and hitting the small area of the equine brain that would render the animal insensible is a difficult maneuver at best.
Further, for safety reasons, inspectors at Viandes Richelieu at the time were not permitted in the area where horses were being stunned by gunshot, therefore preventing oversight by those responsible to ensure that animals are being humanely treated.
Animal suffering cannot be prevented in an equine slaughter situation, where assembly-line speed and profit are the goals. Horses are flight animals and difficult if not impossible to restrain when they are very frightened. They are administered drugs during their lifetimes that are not safe for humans to ingest.
The CHDC calls upon the government of Canada to put an end to the shameful and unsafe practice of killing our noble companion animals for food.
Horse defenders can send their polite messages of concern to:
Stephen Giguere, Manager, Les Viandes de la Petite Nation Inc.
email: stephane.giguere@taoco.com
Tel: 819.983.7941
888.983.2082
Fax: 819.983.4041
vpn@taoco.com
Also email: cerfdeboileau@taoco.com
Mylene Freeman
NDP MP for Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel (Saint-Andre-Avellin is in her riding.)
Hill Office
House of Commons
Ottawa,Ontario
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-0902
Fax: 613-992-2935
Email: Mylene.Freeman@parl.gc.ca
Web Site: www.mylenefreeman.ndp.ca/
Constituency Office(s)
499-B Principale Street(Main Office)
Lachute, Québec
J8H 1Y4
Telephone: 450-562-0737
Fax: 450-562-2527
149 Main Street
Saint-André-Avellin, Québec
J0V 1W0
Telephone: 819-983-1577
Fax: 819-983-1851
Mayor Therese Whissell, Mayor of Saint-Andre-Avellin
http://www.ville.st-andre-avellin.qc.ca/
Téléphone : 819 983-6378
Courriel/email : maire@ville.st-andre-avellin.qc.ca
Hon. Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
781 Confederation Bldg., House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Email: Ritz.G@parl.gc.ca
Website:www.gerryritzmp.com
E-mail: gerry.ritz@parl.gc.ca
Tel: 613-995-7080
Fax: 613-996-8472
Dr. Martin Appelt, Manager Meat Programs, Martin.Appelt@inspection.gc.ca
Dr. Gord Doonan, CFIA Senior Staff Veterinarian, Gordon.Doonan@inspection.gc.ca
Dr. Brian Evans, Chief Food Safety and Veterinary Officer for Canada, Brian.Evans@inspection.gc.ca
Mr. George Da Pont, President
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1400 Merivale Rd., Tower 1, Floor 6
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
Website: www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml
Tel: 613-773-6000; Fax: 613-773-6060
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday Fun (A Day Late)
I couldn't help myself, and I hope I'm not infringing on any copyright laws. I have NO idea the source of these photos. They came in an email. Enjoy, and visit me in jail if I messed up.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Please Urge the BLM to Cancel Arizona Burro Roundup, Removal & Castration Plan
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
Click HERE to Take Action!
MORE Action Alerts HERE.
Comments Due February 28, 2012
The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) Yuma, Arizona Field Office is seeking public comments on an Environmental Assessment for a massive burro roundup and removal plan. The agency plans to use helicopters to stampede and capture 400 wild burros in the Cibola-Trigo Herd Management Area (HMA) in southwestern Arizona and permanently remove 350 of them from their home in this remote and rugged region on the border of California.
The BLM allows just 165 burros (and 150 wild horses) to live in this 179,000-acre, or 280-square-mile, public land area. The agency estimates that the current burro population is 711. In developing this roundup plan, the BLM ignored the comments of thousands of citizens who wrote to the agency in May of 2010 requesting that the allowable management level for burros be increased; that the burros be managed with humane and reversible PZP fertility control instead of removals; and that humane alternatives to helicopter stampedes be implemented if roundups occur.
Even worse, the agency has added a controversial new aspect to the plan that involves castrating 50 Jacks (male burros) and returning them to the range. The BLM is proceeding with this radical sterilization plan despite a complete lack of analysis of its impacts and a pending federal lawsuit challenging a similar plan for "managing" wild horses in Nevada.
.
.Please take action below to help Arizona burros and oppose this devastating roundup, removal and castration plan!
Click HERE to Take Action!
MORE Action Alerts HERE.
National Wild Horse & Burro Protest Day
The Cloud Foundation
March 1, 2012
Dear Friends of Cloud and the Wild Horses;
I fear for our wild horses that have been captured and are now in government holding facilities. Why has Secretary Salazar appointed yet another pro horse slaughter person to the BLM’s National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board?
Please read the following, mark your calendars, and on March 1st act to block the appointment of this latest threat to all captive wild horses.
Happy Trails!
Ginger
Safe in the wild, Cloud enjoys a foggy morning.
On Thursday, March 1, 2012:
Join thousands of concerned and caring Americans around the country.
Protest Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s appointment of Callie Hendrickson to the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board[1] representing the General Public.
Background: Callie Hendrickson is the Executive Director of the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts representing ranching interests, many of whom have permits to run livestock on public lands in northwestern Colorado. The organization successfully petitioned to become an intervenor on the side of BLM to completely remove the West Douglas Creek Wild Horse Herd on the Western Slope of Colorado.
- Ms. Hendrickson supports the sale without limitation of all unadopted wild horses to the highest bidder (including slaughter buyers)
- Ms. Hendrickson will speak at the second pro-slaughter conference (Summit of the Horse) in Oklahoma City this spring. (Sue Wallis' creation.)
Tell the Secretary that she does not represent you or the 80% of the General Public opposed to horse slaughter[2].
Number to Call: (202) 208-3100
Number to Fax: (202) 208-6956
Address to Email: feedback@ios.doi.gov
[1] The nine-member BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board recommends management strategies to the BLM. Hendrickson would join Jim Stephenson (appointed June 2011) on the Board. Stephenson openly advocates for horse slaughter. BLM has discussed killing wild horses in holding since at least 2008. With Hendrickson, they may have just the Board they want —a Board that could recommend to BLM that they dispose of the wild horses in holding.
[2] A recent nationwide poll reveals that 80% of Americans oppose the slaughter of U.S. horses for human consumption. The survey shows that Amerricans in all parts of the country, regardless of their gender, political affiliation, whether they live in an urban or rural area, or whether they own horses or not, are against the slaughtering of our nation’s equines. The survey was sponsored by the ASPCA and conducted by Lake Research Partners.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
“But what are we going to do with all the horses?”
Habitat for Horses
It’s been firmly established that the only reason horse slaughter exist is for the love of money. No one, from the Church of Veterinarians, aka the AAEP, to the dust covered toothless hobo that hangs around the dumpster hunting for chicken parts, has been able to come up with a single, valid reason other than money.
That should come as a shock to all those who actually believed the hyperbolic propaganda put forth by those who wanted you to believe otherwise.There really is no reason to list the statements proponents have used. Each of them have been proven to be lies – complete and total fabrications put forth to convince the public that these wise men in white hats and bolo ties know best. Their souls have been lost as they manipulate others for their own selfish benefit while their pockets are stuffed with the blood money of dead horses.
I can’t be angry at them. More than anything, it’s sad beyond belief that such humans are so willing to leave behind whatever goodness was once in their hearts, as they take a sadistic, almost perverse satisfaction in spewing the wonders of horse slaughter. I can only hope that the realization of what they are doing happens before the day they lay on their death bed and face the inevitable question, “What have you done to make this world a better place?” to which they must answer, “I killed horses.”
It isn’t to them that I speak. This is to you, their faithful followers, who have long believed the lies, who shag along behind them, drawn by the siren’s song to repeat all that you have been told as though it was written in the Gospel, who truly believe that horse slaughter in the US is the foundation of our future, the corner stone for the Temple that will once again house all that is good and right.
Bear with me for a moment as we pause and think – what if it doesn’t happen? What if all the hopes and dreams of hauling your personal collection of unwanted horses to the horse slaughterhouse in some small Oklahoma town and walking away with a few hundred dollars just never comes true? What effect will that have on the agricultural business in the US? What horrible scenes of economic collapse do you envision?
Yes, those who depend on slaughter as the way to cull the poor results of their mass breeding programs will be
screaming. The BLM, who often ponders about the joy of sending all their captured horses off to slaughter (oops, I mean “humane euthanasia.” Sorry.) will have a total breakdown. The racing industry might suddenly need to take responsibility for their animals. All of them will be horrified because they will be forced to change from the way its always been done.
Whatever level of goodness still left in those industries is currently held by those who really want to do the right thing but are afraid of change, afraid of taking responsibility. People didn’t want to free the slaves because of the fear of change, didn’t want civil rights for all Americans, didn’t want to see this or that happen because…
“But what are we going to do with all the horses?”
Somehow the cotton got picked. Somehow Japan and Germany became our greatest economic partners. Somehow schools were integrated, blacks ate in restaurants, drank from the same water fountain. Somehow we pulled out of Vietnam and Southeast Asia didn’t plummet into the abyss of Communism. Somehow, today’s economy is recovering.
Somehow, when we do the right thing, we adopt to the change and the fear is replaced by the new normal. That new normal will be here soon and those who stand in the path of change are well advised to make plans for a new business model where horse slaughter is a thing of the past. The true leaders of the equine industry will be those who support long term care, limited and controlled breeding and owner responsibility.
Yes, it’s scary, but somehow that one percent of horses currently being slaughtered will no longer be a factor and the myth of “unwanted horses” will be a part of history.
It’s been firmly established that the only reason horse slaughter exist is for the love of money. No one, from the Church of Veterinarians, aka the AAEP, to the dust covered toothless hobo that hangs around the dumpster hunting for chicken parts, has been able to come up with a single, valid reason other than money.
That should come as a shock to all those who actually believed the hyperbolic propaganda put forth by those who wanted you to believe otherwise.There really is no reason to list the statements proponents have used. Each of them have been proven to be lies – complete and total fabrications put forth to convince the public that these wise men in white hats and bolo ties know best. Their souls have been lost as they manipulate others for their own selfish benefit while their pockets are stuffed with the blood money of dead horses.
"I support Horse Slaughter"
It isn’t to them that I speak. This is to you, their faithful followers, who have long believed the lies, who shag along behind them, drawn by the siren’s song to repeat all that you have been told as though it was written in the Gospel, who truly believe that horse slaughter in the US is the foundation of our future, the corner stone for the Temple that will once again house all that is good and right.
Bear with me for a moment as we pause and think – what if it doesn’t happen? What if all the hopes and dreams of hauling your personal collection of unwanted horses to the horse slaughterhouse in some small Oklahoma town and walking away with a few hundred dollars just never comes true? What effect will that have on the agricultural business in the US? What horrible scenes of economic collapse do you envision?
Yes, those who depend on slaughter as the way to cull the poor results of their mass breeding programs will be
screaming. The BLM, who often ponders about the joy of sending all their captured horses off to slaughter (oops, I mean “humane euthanasia.” Sorry.) will have a total breakdown. The racing industry might suddenly need to take responsibility for their animals. All of them will be horrified because they will be forced to change from the way its always been done.Whatever level of goodness still left in those industries is currently held by those who really want to do the right thing but are afraid of change, afraid of taking responsibility. People didn’t want to free the slaves because of the fear of change, didn’t want civil rights for all Americans, didn’t want to see this or that happen because…
“But what are we going to do with all the horses?”
Somehow the cotton got picked. Somehow Japan and Germany became our greatest economic partners. Somehow schools were integrated, blacks ate in restaurants, drank from the same water fountain. Somehow we pulled out of Vietnam and Southeast Asia didn’t plummet into the abyss of Communism. Somehow, today’s economy is recovering.
Somehow, when we do the right thing, we adopt to the change and the fear is replaced by the new normal. That new normal will be here soon and those who stand in the path of change are well advised to make plans for a new business model where horse slaughter is a thing of the past. The true leaders of the equine industry will be those who support long term care, limited and controlled breeding and owner responsibility.
Yes, it’s scary, but somehow that one percent of horses currently being slaughtered will no longer be a factor and the myth of “unwanted horses” will be a part of history.
McCain Response to Constituent re: Horse Slaughter S 1176
Thank you for contacting me to share your views on S. 1176, theAmerican Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011. I appreciate hearing from you.
Horses have been critical to human endeavors such as transportation, commerce, and recreation. Utilizing them in the same manner as consumable livestock has raised significant concerns among animal protection advocates. S. 1176 would prohibit the transportation of horses to Mexico to be slaughtered for human consumption. This legislation was introduced on June 9, 2011, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
As you may know, since 2006 Congress has routinely attached a provision to annual appropriation bills that prohibits the U.S. De partment of Agriculture (USDA) from spending taxpayer dollars on ante-mortem inspection of horses under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA). Supporters of this provision sought to shut down all domestic horse slaughter facilities if USDA inspectors weren’t allowed to certify compliance with the FMIA.
Unfortunately, this attempt to ban domestic horse slaughter has amounted to an animal welfare disaster. On June 22, 2011, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent investigating branch of Congress, issued a report which found a 60% rise in state and local investigations for horse neglect, starvation, and abandonment since the inspection ban was instituted (“Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter” GAO-11-228). Several animal welfare groups, like the American Veterinarian Medical Association, have also concluded that American horse slaughter facilities are more humane and preferable to less regulated Mexican slaughter facilities or the starvation of abandoned horses. As a result, Congress recently restored funding for USDA meat inspectors under the Agriculture Appropriations bill, H.R. 2112, which was signed into law on November 18, 2011.
While I question the practice of slaughtering horses for human consumption, I’m also concerned with the evidence to date showing that an outright ban on horse slaughter has done far more to increase the suffering of unwanted horses. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that horses are treated humanely under appropriate animal welfare laws. Please be assured that I will keep your comments in mind should S. 1176 be considered by the full Senate.
Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. Please feel free to contact me on this or any other matter of concern.
Sincerely,
John McCain
United States Senator
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Please Attend Wild Horse Court Hearing February 24, 10 a.m., Sacramento
In Defense of Animals
When: February 24, 2012, 10 a.m. IDA strongly urges all attendees to arrive by 9:30 a.m. in order to get through security and into the courtroom.
Where: 501 I Street, Courtroom 7 on the 14th floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. Click here for directions to the courthouse.
Case Number: 2:10-cv-1852-MCE-DAD
Pro bono attorney Rachel Fazio will be arguing the case for plaintiffs In Defense of Animals, ecologist Chad Hanson, Ph.D., wild horse sanctuary founder Barbara Clarke, DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary, and wild horse enthusiast Linda Hay.
Last April, in an historic ruling, Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. refused to dismiss the case on legal technicalities, meaning that this lawsuit will be decided on the merits. Finally, the wild horses will have their day in court.
Don’t miss this unprecedented hearing – please fill the courtroom and show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses and burros.
No recording devices, cameras, cellphones or electronic devices are allowed in the courtroom. We suggest not bringing any such devices into the courthouse. Photo identification is required to get into the courthouse.
For more information: Eric Kleiman: ericsk@idausa.org
Fill the courtroom and show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses
Important: The time and date of the hearing can change at any time. It has already changed once. In Defense of Animals will keep you apprised of any such changes.
A hearing on the groundbreaking Twin Peaks wild horse lawsuit is scheduled for February 24 at 10:00 a.m. in Courtroom 7 (14th Floor) at the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, in Sacramento. Please show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses and burros and fill the courtroom, which has a capacity of approximately 100 people. When: February 24, 2012, 10 a.m. IDA strongly urges all attendees to arrive by 9:30 a.m. in order to get through security and into the courtroom.Where: 501 I Street, Courtroom 7 on the 14th floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. Click here for directions to the courthouse.
Case Number: 2:10-cv-1852-MCE-DAD
Pro bono attorney Rachel Fazio will be arguing the case for plaintiffs In Defense of Animals, ecologist Chad Hanson, Ph.D., wild horse sanctuary founder Barbara Clarke, DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary, and wild horse enthusiast Linda Hay.
Last April, in an historic ruling, Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. refused to dismiss the case on legal technicalities, meaning that this lawsuit will be decided on the merits. Finally, the wild horses will have their day in court.
Don’t miss this unprecedented hearing – please fill the courtroom and show your support for the Twin Peaks wild horses and burros.
No recording devices, cameras, cellphones or electronic devices are allowed in the courtroom. We suggest not bringing any such devices into the courthouse. Photo identification is required to get into the courthouse.
For more information: Eric Kleiman: ericsk@idausa.org
Dear Horse Advocate: An Open Letter from Former Mayor Paula Bacon
Straight from the Horse's Heart
Posted: February 21, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Tags: Horse, Horse Slaughter, Kaufman Texas, Paula Bacon, Trent Lott, United States House of Representatives
Posted: February 21, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Tags: Horse, Horse Slaughter, Kaufman Texas, Paula Bacon, Trent Lott, United States House of Representatives
3
By Paula Bacon, former Mayor of Kaufman, TX
When I was mayor of a city with a horse slaughter plant, the support, information and backing of horse advocates encouraged me, strengthened my convictions— you were essential to me and frankly kept me going. I want to thank you for your advocacy for horses. It is because of you that elected officials feel compelled or wise to support a ban on horse slaughter.
You are receiving this email because of your advocacy and because one or more members of the House of Representatives from your state is a good candidate to support and/or co-sponsor H.R. 2966 banning horse slaughter. (Click HERE to find the Members that represent YOU)
This week congressional members are in their home districts. This is an important opportunity for us to speak to members directly rather than trying to work through young staffers in D.C.
Can you attend a public meeting or make an appointment to meet with the member this week? Also, do you know of other advocates in your state (constituents, friends, relatives of constituents, etc., in the member’s district) who could meet with the member?
It is very important. We need as many people as possible advocating a ban on horse slaughter to their legislators. We have strength in numbers.
Please call one of the Congressional member’s local district offices and find out when public meetings are scheduled for the representative. Or call and make an appointment to speak with the member personally this week. At a minimum, would you call, have others call, and speak directly with the member?
May I suggest that you choose and be ready with 3 major points, keeping your message simple and straightforward. You may want to thank the member for past support, and then to mention that…
Practice your message aloud, anticipate concerns from your particular congressional representative. A concise, effective rebuttal may be simply, ‘That makes no sense when you consider that…’ Stay COOL. Emotional doesn’t help us.
The Former Mayor of Kaufman, TX Gives Tips to Help the Horses
Dear Horse Advocate,
When I was mayor of a city with a horse slaughter plant, the support, information and backing of horse advocates encouraged me, strengthened my convictions— you were essential to me and frankly kept me going. I want to thank you for your advocacy for horses. It is because of you that elected officials feel compelled or wise to support a ban on horse slaughter.You are receiving this email because of your advocacy and because one or more members of the House of Representatives from your state is a good candidate to support and/or co-sponsor H.R. 2966 banning horse slaughter. (Click HERE to find the Members that represent YOU)
This week congressional members are in their home districts. This is an important opportunity for us to speak to members directly rather than trying to work through young staffers in D.C.
Can you attend a public meeting or make an appointment to meet with the member this week? Also, do you know of other advocates in your state (constituents, friends, relatives of constituents, etc., in the member’s district) who could meet with the member?
It is very important. We need as many people as possible advocating a ban on horse slaughter to their legislators. We have strength in numbers.
Please call one of the Congressional member’s local district offices and find out when public meetings are scheduled for the representative. Or call and make an appointment to speak with the member personally this week. At a minimum, would you call, have others call, and speak directly with the member?
May I suggest that you choose and be ready with 3 major points, keeping your message simple and straightforward. You may want to thank the member for past support, and then to mention that…
- Recent polls show 80% of Americans support a federal ban on horse slaughter. Results crossed gender, political affiliation, urban and rural areas and geographic location. In our current political climate of divisiveness, a horse slaughter ban has broad political consensus.
- The cost to taxpayers is millions annually, yet the market is foreign as are plant interests/ownership. In these difficult economic times taxpayers would be forced to subsidize an un-American market with foreign interests and ownership that pays almost nothing literally in taxes and that represents a very small number of dangerous, minimal pay jobs, and which Americans do not support. This makes no sense.
- 99% of horse owners choose to euthanize rather than having their horse butchered; horse slaughter is not a service offered to mom & pop horse owners.
- Horse slaughter is not a service or euthanasia. According to the USDA, only 4% of horses at slaughter are 10 years old or older;
- The slaughter market encourages abandonment. Recent events in the news show horses rejected at the border are being dumped by kill buyers.
- Bring a copy of Trent Lott’s recent article on horse slaughter. Lott is a highly respected former Congressman. Your lawmaker is the perfect audience for Lott’s message. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/210585-preventing-horse-slaughter-a-personal-evolution
- If you have children’s letters, please share copies with the legislator; they are often very effective.
Remember to thank the legislator for past support and that you and thousands of voters look forward to him/her co-sponsoring H.R. 2966.
Thank you for your invaluable help. I apologize for not being more timely. All the same, Good luck! Please email me back with updates or if I can help you with any information.
Best regards, Paula Bacon
“Write me, personally, for Paula’s email address at rt@rtfitch.com”~ R.T.
“Write me, personally, for Paula’s email address at rt@rtfitch.com”~ R.T.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Horse Plus Humane Society News
Horse Plus Humane Society
[Read Part 2 here.]
Saturday night was the auction. There was a heartbreaking group of 10 babies there that had been driven down from Oregon, over 550 miles. They were all so skinny, bedraggled and sad looking. Our rescuer knew that these had to be saved!
This poor horse was standing dejected looking, wondering why it had been thrown away like a worthless piece of garbage.
There were a lot of horses at the auction, but when the babies came in the bidding practically stopped. No one wanted to bid on the scrawny babies. Our rescuer put her hand in the air and all 10 were saved! Read MORE and see the pictures! (Part 1.)
[Read Part 2 HERE.]
[Read Part 2 here.]
Saturday night was the auction. There was a heartbreaking group of 10 babies there that had been driven down from Oregon, over 550 miles. They were all so skinny, bedraggled and sad looking. Our rescuer knew that these had to be saved!
This poor horse was standing dejected looking, wondering why it had been thrown away like a worthless piece of garbage.
There were a lot of horses at the auction, but when the babies came in the bidding practically stopped. No one wanted to bid on the scrawny babies. Our rescuer put her hand in the air and all 10 were saved! Read MORE and see the pictures! (Part 1.)
[Read Part 2 HERE.]
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