The Science Is Clear
American Horse Slaughter Is a Horse Welfare and Public Health Crisis.
At Its Core, the American Horse Slaughter Debate Is Reduced to How Americans View Horses Ideologically in Different Parts of the Country.
Over 80% of Americans are against horse slaughter and the majority of Americans overwhelmingly view horses as companion and performance animals—not as livestock.
“From the body-to-body contact, up to the emotional transfer, horses coordinate physiological activities through bonding, which increases the similarity in the way humans and horses perceive and experience their common world.”
- “Emotional Transfer in Human–Horse Interaction: New Perspectives on Equine Assisted Interventions.” National Center for Biotechnology Information (2019).
Horse Slaughter Pipeline Entry Points
American Horse Slaughter: A Horse Welfare Crisis
The American horse slaughter industry has significant impacts on horse welfare. This is not only due to the inflicted abuse and cruelty throughout all slaughter pipeline stages, but also due to horses’ cognitive and behavioral characteristics.
The Facts: Horse Welfare Impacts
It is impossible to humanely slaughter horses due to their physiology.
The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act states a single blow or gunshot must render an animal insensible to pain before the animal is hoisted and cut, and the animal must be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter.
Due to their intelligence, natural agility, high pole position, and flight instinct, it often takes at least several blows with a penetrating captive bolt gun to render a horse unconscious. As a result, some horses are still conscious while being hoisted and slaughtered.
The many vocalizations—a measurement of equine pain and stress—documented prior to and during the slaughter process, as well as the abuse caught on video and listed in reports confirms the terror, suffering, and abuse horses experience prior to and during slaughter, even when slaughter plants are following USDA and EU protocols.
And not all American horses exported for slaughter go to foreign slaughter plants that follow guidelines similar those of the USDA and EU. In Mexico, some horses are stabbed in the back with a pole-axe or puntilla until paralyzed but still conscious, and also hit in the head multiple times with a hammer before slaughter.
Horse abuse and neglect cases rise when horse slaughter is allowed.
It is unlikely that banning horse slaughter in the U.S. and prohibiting the export of horses for slaughter would cause a national increase in horse abandonment and abuse in the United States.
Pro horse slaughter organizations and lobbyists originated and continue to push messaging that horse slaughter is needed to keep horses free of abuse and neglect, as well as prevent unwanted horses from wandering the streets. The GAO report that supports these unsubstantiated claims has been debunked and was backed by pro horse slaughter legislators and lobbyists.
We should instead be asking: Is there an increase in horse abuse, neglect, and abandonment when horse slaughter and the exportation of horses for slaughter is allowed?
When horse slaughter and the exportation of horses for slaughter is allowed, horses are able to be dropped off in horrific condition at livestock markets and kill pens with no consequence or accountability for their owners. These horses have often been starved, abused, and neglected, and they often experience the same neglect at the auctions and kill pens once in the slaughter pipeline.
Once in kill pens, kill buyers exploit the awful condition of these horses in order to make more money selling these horses to rescues than to slaughter plants. This exploitation of horses is not only a natural market correction (global horse meat demand has decreased significantly), but is encouraged by allowing the American horse slaughter industry to continue to operate.
The American horse slaughter industry enables horse abuse, neglect, and exploitation to thrive. Irresponsible owners and breeders can dispose of their unwanted horses without consequence, and allowing horses to be slaughtered and/or exported for slaughter provides no incentive for these irresponsible breeders and owners to change their behavior.
And as for abandonment, evidence suggests it increases when the U.S. horse slaughter industry operates. When horses are rejected by Mexican and Canadian authorities at the border, they are often abandoned by kill buyers and shippers or left to deteriorate and die and be illegally disposed of in kill pen reject pens or private export pens.
Horses are subject to significant abuse and suffering once in the slaughter pipeline.
There is little USDA APHIS oversight of the American horse slaughter industry. Instead, kill buyers are trusted to fill out the appropriate shipping paperwork to confirm horses are fit for travel, and pull horses for loads and seek veterinary care if they are ineligible to ship.
A recent study of 2,648 horses at a Mexican slaughter facility showed that 40.7% of the horses arrived in “poor” to “very poor” condition, with some arriving in a non-ambulatory state.
From their time at livestock auctions and assembly points (kill pens), and to ports and slaughter facilities, horses sustain significant injuries, disease, and death. Freedom of Information Act requested documents report horses and foals experiencing dismemberment, compound fractured limbs and backs, crushed skulls, and being trampled to death while in transit. Other reports and investigations confirm significantly injured, sick, non-ambulatory and dead horses at auctions and assembly points.
Transport to slaughter facilities often exceeds 28 continuous hours without food and water, and that does not include transport to additional auctions or assembly points prior to traveling to slaughter.
Horses-for-slaughter are often denied veterinary care while at assembly points and in transport, and there are reports of horses being left to die at assembly points or near a port if they are or will be rejected by Mexican or Canadian authorities.
The USDA is unable to enforce horses-for-slaughter welfare and disease traceability.
In its most recent APHIS equines-for-slaughter audit report, the USDA Office of the Inspector General cites significant concerns over APHIS’s ability to identify and enforce equine welfare violations and equine disease traceability. Instead, APHIS relies on the kill buyers to ensure horse welfare and to self-regulate shipping eligibility.
Prior to slaughter, a USDA-accredited veterinarian—selected by the kill buyer—must inspect the horses to make sure they are eligible to ship to slaughter, and issue health certificates for the horses.
Horses are eligible to ship if they can bear weight on all four legs, can walk unassisted, can see out of one eye, are over six months old, have no signs of communicable disease, and if pregnant, are not in danger of foaling in transit.
The USDA APHIS Area Vet In-Charge then approves the health certificates without seeing the horses, and the horses must ship to slaughter within 30 days.
If the health status of the horses changes within the 30 days after the health certificate was issued, it is the responsibility of the kill buyer to pull the horse from the shipping load and to seek veterinary attention.
There are not any APHIS representatives at the port to check the loads to ensure compliance or traceability.
“Based on our review, we found that owners can apply backtags to horses that were not examined and may not be fit to travel; that owners can circumvent humane handling regulations by designating horses as pleasure horses rather than slaughter horses; and that owners can use tags without being tracked by APHIS.”
American Horse Slaughter: A Public Health Crisis
American horse meat and blood are contaminated with FDA-banned medications. And American horse slaughter impacts public health whether individuals choose—or choose not—to consume horse meat.
“FSIS has concerns regarding the potential presence of chemical residues from drugs not previously approved for use in all food animals including equine…In addition, FSIS expects many of the drugs used in working or pleasure horses are not antimicrobials and therefore would not be detected by FSIS in-plant antibiotic residue screening tests.”
The Facts: Public Health Impacts
American horse meat is unsafe to eat.
Horses have been treated with routine medications throughout their lifetimes that the FDA bans for use in animals intended for human consumption. Any American horse for slaughter should, therefore, be marked as “USDA Condemned” and its meat considered adulterated by the FSIS.
Horse slaughter hurts communities.
When horse slaughter facilities were open in the U.S., housing prices around these slaughter facilities plummeted and drove citizens away. Residents complained of putrid air, continuous whinnying (vocalizations), clinking of horse shoes, horse blood, heads, hooves, and entrails in ditches, and increased horse theft—all of which contributed to residents experiencing significant psychological stress. Community water and sanitation systems were stressed and often exceeded their thresholds, impacting public health and city budgets.
In addition, the slaughter plants were foreign-owned, and records show they paid little tax to the communities in which they were located, and depleted the communities’ financial resources.
Individuals are exposed to harmful horse slaughter byproducts-even if they choose not to eat horse meat.
Horses have twice as much blood as cows, and the bacterial agents used to treat cow blood are unable to treat horse blood due to the antibiotics present in horse blood.
Horse slaughter byproducts—especially blood, sludge, and waste water—can contaminate groundwater and enter the food chain when sludge is distributed on crops.
As a result, individuals who choose not to eat horse meat could be exposed to the FDA-banned drugs that are used on horses. These medications are banned for use on animals meant for human consumption, are harmful to humans, and could enter the food and the water supply.
These are common medications used on horses that are FDA-banned for use in animals intended for human consumption.
“Acepromazine is used as a sedative and antiemetic in horses. Its use has been discontinued in humans. While it was previously used in humans, its ingestion can still be harmful or fatal, or cause neurologic symptoms.
Blue Kote is a topical ointment, antiseptic, and protective wound dressing used by many horse owners. Its active ingredient is acriflavine. The Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS) for this substance states that it is ‘[h]azardous in case of . . . ingestion’ and is ‘toxic to lungs [and] mucous membranes.’
Adequan, a commonly-used drug for degenerative and traumatic joint problems, and containing the active ingredient polysulfated glycosaminoglycan, cannot legally be given to horses used for food. Adequan has never been tested on humans, so that its potential toxicity and adverse reactions to its use by humans are completely unknown.
Altrenogest is the active substance in Regu-Mate, an artificial hormone and growth promoter. Even skin contact with the chemical is unsafe, and it is especially dangerous to pregnant women and women of child-bearing age, as it can disrupt biological function. Unsurprisingly, the federal government has expressly forbidden its use in animals used for meat.
Amikacin is used for the treatment of genital tract infections in mares. Use of amikacin has been expressly prohibited by law for ‘in horses intended for human consumption.’
Avermectin is a common chemical component in dewormers used on American horses. Dewormers are part of typical routine care for most horses, in order to prevent worm infestation and the problems related with infestation. The MSDS for this substance directs that upon any human ingestion of the drug, immediate medical attention is required. The MSDS, like the label, also states without limitation that it is not to be used on horses who will be eaten. The deworming products Agri-mectin, Bimectin, Equell, Equimax, Exodus, Farnam Ivercare, Horse Health, Ivercare, Prometin E, and Zimecterin all contain substances prohibited under federal law for use in ‘horses intended for human consumption.’
Butorphanol is a commonly-used drug for pain relief in a wide variety of situations involving horses. Its effectiveness makes it a regular choice, but, probably because of its severe side effects, federal law forbids the use or sale for human consumption of meat from any horse who has had it.
Carbadox is a growth-enhancing antibiotic. If ingested, it can cause serious health problems or even be fatal. Even a single exposure could cause irreversible mutations of human chromosomes.
Chloramphenicol is a topical antibiotic ointment. If ingested by humans, it can cause tragic consequences, including death and severe blood disorders.
Kopertox is used to treat thrush (a common bacterial infection of the hoof) in horses. Its active ingredient is copper naphthenate which, if eaten, may cause vomiting, shock, jaundice, and liver, kidney or central nervous system failures. The law forbids the use of horses for meat, if they have been treated with copper naphthenate.
Cupric sulfate is the active ingredient in Proudsoff, used to treat certain types of unwanted granulation tissue (proud flesh). If eaten by humans, cupric sulfate can cause gastrointestinal tract problems including bleeding, liver damage, anemias, urinary system problems, and cardiovascular problems.
Farnam Repel and other fly sprays used to control flies on horses contain deodorized kerosene. If any of that substance was in horse meat, the potential problems upon ingestion could include pulmonary edema, central nervous system depression, convulsions and loss of consciousness.
Deslorelin is used in order to induce ovulation, as a regular tool for successful horse breeding. Federal regulations forbid its use in horses who will be eaten. This is undoubtedly because the drug can cause serious adverse reactions related to hormonal effects.
Dexium (dexamethasone) injection and tablets are used as anti- inflammatory agents in horses, but are expressly banned from use in food animals because of the great danger from ingestion. Dexium is a steroid that is very hazardous if eaten. Any use of it is banned by law for horses ‘intended for food.’
Diclofenac sodium (marketed as Surpass) is used for pain associated with arthritis in horses. While it is also used in human medicine, the drug is very dangerous, used only when necessary, and in the shortest duration possible. There are many known adverse reactions and side effects, and the FDA prohibits its use in animals who become food.
Dormosedan, the brand name for detomidine hydrochloride, is a common sedative and analgesic for many routine procedures performed on mature horses. No animal that has been administered this drug can legally be used for food.
Furaltadone, a common antibacterial used in horses, is definitely ‘harmful if swallowed,’ has carcinogenic effects and, of even greater concern, the actual detrimental effects of the drug on humans who eat it has not been studied and is not known.
Hyaluronate Sodium, marketed as Legend, is used to treat an arthritic condition in horses. It is illegal to use this drug on horses who will be food.
The use of isoflurane, a commonly used anesthetic gas for humans and horses, renders horses unfit for human consumption.94 Federal law has barred other anesthetic compounds as well. Studies have not addressed the effect of these drugs on the flesh of horses, and so the consequences for humans who eat those horses are completely unknown.
Luprostiol, a female hormone used in horses to manipulate estrus cycles and to chemically terminate pregnancies, cannot legally be used in food horses.97 There is of course a potential for hormonal effects in women who eat horse meat from horses who have been given luprostiol.
Moxidectin is used as a dewormer and marketed as Quest. And like most of the drugs on this list, its sellers must label the product as ‘[n]ot for horses or ponies intended for human consumption.’
Omeprazole, marketed as Gastrogard, is a commonly-used drug to aid in the protection and relief of stomach ulcers. Though also used in human drugs, its use in horses intended for food is expressly prohibited under federal regulations.
Phenylbutazone, marketed as Butazone, Bute and Butequine, is barred by law from use in horses who are eaten, undoubtedly because of its significant adverse effects on humans.
Horses are regularly treated with insecticides with known health risks for humans and others. For example, Mosquito Halt, containing the substance Prallethrin, can cause serious problems affecting multiple body systems.
A series of drugs that affect thyroid function in horses, known as thyrostats, are used without significant control in America. However, the European Union has permanently banned the importation, purchase or sale of animals or meat of any animal that has been treated with these substances, because of their adverse characteristics.
Triamcinolone acetonide, an ingredient in popular topical creams and liquids, is applied regularly to American horses in products such as Animax. It is specifically prohibited for use in horses who will become meat.”
Source: “Petition to Create Rules and Regulations Governing the Sale, Transport and Processing of Horses and Horse Meat Intended for Human Consumption.” Before the United States Department of Agriculture United States Food Safety Inspection Service. Prepared by Schiff Hardin LLP on Behalf of Front Range Equine Rescue and the Humane Society of the United States, April 2012.
American horse meat could be present in the U.S. commercial market as imported, mislabeled ground beef.
A 2015 study by Chapman University's Food Science Program found horsemeat in two of 48 ground meat samples that were sold on the commercial U.S. market.
A recent OIG FSIS audit report also cites significant concerns over FSIS’s imported meat inspection procedures and its implementation of these inspection procedures.
Canada and Mexico are the largest American horse meat processors, and horse meat has been found in their ground meat supply as a result of Economically Motivated Adulteration. In addition, FSIS and CPB only inspect approximately 2% of imported foods, and when imported meat is inspected, it is rarely tested for species commingling or drugs.