The Humane Society of the United States Praises Museum Restaurant’s Decision to Keep Horsemeat off the Menu

Horseback Magazine

October 5, 2012

NEW YORK (HSUS)-Brian Shapiro, New York state director for The Humane Society of the United States, issued the following statement in response to newsthat the owners of M. Wells Dinette will not feature horsemeat on the menu at their restaurant in the Museum of Modern Art’s PS1 gallery:
“Eighty percent of Americans oppose horse slaughter – they made their voices heard and the museum listened. The Humane Society of the United States applauds the M. Wells Dinette and MoMA PS1 for making the right decision in response to public concern about the cruel and inhumane horse slaughter industry and the potential health risks associated with consuming horsemeat. Americans regard horses as beloved companions, not dinner, and we’re glad that tradition will be upheld at one of New York’s premiere cultural hubs.”
Facts:

• The transport of horses to slaughter and the slaughter process is inherently inhumane. HSUS investigators have repeatedly documented the animal cruelty associated with slaughtering horses, including “killer” auctions and the method of transporting horses across the country and into Canada and Mexico in overcrowded trailers for days at a time in extreme temperatures. The slaughter process itself is difficult, as horses are flight animals, and many horses suffer during the misguided and often repeated attempts to render them unconscious. The HSUS’ undercover footageof horse slaughter shows the gruesome reality of the industry.
• Horse slaughter plants do not currently operate on U.S. soil; however, more than 100,000 American horses are trucked every year to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered – with most of their flesh exported to Europe and Japan where horsemeat is considered a delicacy.
• Americans horses are given a wide variety of drugs, both legal and illegal, over the course of their lifetimes that can make their meat dangerous to humans. There is no adequate safeguard in place to ensure that horsemeat is safe for human consumption, regardless of where the animal is slaughtered.
• The HSUS has petitioned both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration to label horsemeat as “condemned,” adulterated, and unqualified for use as human food.
• A January 2012 poll demonstrates that 80 percent of Americans oppose horse slaughter.

Currently, the U.S. Congress is considering the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 1176/H.R. 2966, which would ban the slaughter of horses (including export of live horses for slaughter in other countries). The bill currently has 165 cosponsors in the U.S. House and 26 in the U.S. Senate.