S.B. 170 South Dakota Introduces Bill to Finance Horses Slaughter Plant

SOUTH DAKOTA INTRODUCES BILL TO FINANCE HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANT - Senate Bill 170
January 27, 2008

CALLS TO SOUTH DAKOTA AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
ARE URGENTLY NEEDED!

Legislation Alert or http://www.awionline.org/legislation/eAlerts/012708.htm

Dear Humanitarian:

A bill was introduced in the South Dakota legislature last week that would make a state-funded loan of up to $1 million available to anyone wishing to construct and open a horse slaughtering facility in the state. Introduced by multiple members of the South Dakota State Senate and House Agriculture Committees, S.B. 170 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee at 10am on Tuesday morning (1/29/08).

Currently no horse slaughtering facilities operate in the United States: both Texas and Illinois shuttered the remaining domestic plants in 2007 in response to strong public opposition to horse slaughter. The opening of a plant in South Dakota would be a huge step backwards for American horses and would have a tremendously negative impact on the state.



What You Can Do:

Please call all members of the South Dakota Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to let them know that you oppose S.B. 170. If you live in South Dakota, tell them. However, you needn't be from South Dakota to call; passage of S.B. 170 will affect horses and people from across the United States. They can be reached at their Capitol offices by calling the operator at 605-773-3821.
Senator Jay Duenwald, Chair
Senator Cooper Garnos (cosponsor)
Senator Tom Hansen, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Hanson (cosponsor)
Senator Frank Kloucek (cosponsor)
Senator Jim Lintz
Senator Kenneth McNenny
Senator Jim Peterson
Senator Dan Sutton (cosponsor)

Call your United States Senators and Representative and urge them to cosponsor and support speedy passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503). The federal bill, which has enormous and growing Congressional and public support, will prohibit the slaughter of horses in the United States for human consumption, as well as their export for the same purpose. Its passage will nullify S.B. 170 or any similar legislation. You can reach your legislators by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Talking Points

In addition to your own feelings on horse slaughter, here are some points to raise in your calls:

Americans overwhelmingly oppose horse slaughter and this has resulted in the closure of the remaining foreign-owned domestic plants. South Dakota would be out of step with public sentiment if the state legislature passes S.B. 170 into law and this will reflect unfavorably on the state.

The overwhelming majority of horses they would slaughter come from other states, including stolen horses and horses sold under false pretenses.

Given that the federal American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act is anticipated to move in 2008, the loan made available via S.B. 170 would be fool hardy. The state risks pumping scarce taxpayer dollars into an industry that is likely to be shut down under federal law.

The FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill (which funds the federal government) currently before Congress includes a provision that prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for the inspection of horses going to slaughter; without which the animals cannot legally be slaughtered. It is anticipated that like measures will be included in future spending bills, too. South Dakota could find itself with a slaughterhouse that cannot operate due to federal funding restrictions.

The REDI fund, through which the loan would be made, is designed to promote job growth in South Dakota. The fact is that a horse slaughter plant would employ only a handful of low-paid, unskilled workers who are more likely to be a drain on the economy than a bonus.

The establishment of a plant in South Dakota would have a negative environmental and economic impact on the hosting jurisdiction. Disposal of blood, tissue and other waste associated with operating a plant would likely stress pre-existing sewer systems and could even require significant public expenditure to fortify the infrastructure.

To learn more about how you can help end horse slaughter please visit www.awionline.org. To locate your federal legislator and see how they rate on AWI's Compassion Index check out www.compassionindex.org.

Please share this "Dear Humanitarian" Alert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact those listed above, too. As always, thank you very much for your help.