I am writing to raise awareness of the brutal, unsafe, and irresponsible practice of horse slaughter.

Particularly offensive is the reality of the horse racing industry practice of using foreign slaughter houses to dispose of young healthy horses they no longer consider profitable. This practice is well documented, but the racing industry would prefer it were a secret.

Horses in the U.S. are not raised for human consumption and routinely receive drugs, both legal and illegal, over their lifetimes that can be toxic to humans if ingested. There is no system in the U.S. to track what drugs horses receive to ensure their meat is safe for human consumption. Should the U.S. government try again to allow horse meat to be processed in our country we will all need to be aware of these facts. President Obama’s administration did attempt to reopen this option but quick action in Congress put a stop to it.

Horse slaughter should not exist as a crutch for irresponsible owners or as a dumping ground that enables over-breeding. Horses sold at auction by families thinking they will go to a new home are shipped out of the country in abusive conditions and then inhumanely slaughtered.

Horse slaughter is not humane euthanasia; it is a betrayal of our trusted companions and working partners. When horse slaughter did exist in this country, the USDA documented a variety of severe abuses, and bringing slaughter back to the U.S. will not make the process humane.

The Humane Society is working to protect us from tainted meat and to protect horses and ponies. They have many useful resources on their website, www.humanesociety.org.

The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 1094/S. 541 will end horse slaughter for American sourced horses. Please consider making a call or sending an e-mail to your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative urging co-sponsorship of this important legislation.

Donna Greathouse Neel

North Bend