USA: Equine inspections to remain forbidden and SAFE Act wants horse export ban

Published 2023년 6월 19일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the ongoing legislative efforts in the U.S. to prohibit horse slaughter for human consumption and the export of horses for slaughter in other countries. Since 2007, no federal funds have been used for horse slaughter inspections, effectively halting the practice in the U.S. The SAFE Act, with bipartisan support, aims to permanently ban horse slaughter and is companioned by a House bill introducing similar restrictions. The European Union's ban on horse meat imports from Mexico since 2014 has led to a decline in U.S. horse exports, with numbers dropping from 140,000 in 2007 to 20,000 in 2022.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The commercial slaughter of equine animals for human consumption ended in the United States 16 years ago. But the subject of horse slaughter still makes the annual legislative agenda in the nation’s capital and this year is no different. An annual budget proviso, for example, bans any funds for USDA for providing inspection services to any horse slaughter. The ban has been continuously enforced for the past decade, USDA has not been asked during that time for any grants of inspection for equine. The budget provisions are included in USDA and FDA appropriations to shut down any possibility of horse slaughter inspection by the federal government. Without inspections, the sale of any horse meat is unlawful in the United States. Equine remains on the menu for much of Europe and Asia. And that has left open an export market for horses shipped to Canada and Mexico. “The good news is that foreign demand has created for the North American horse slaughter Industry and horse slaughter has ...

Source: Foodsafetynews