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SAMPLE PHONE CALL & LETTER
BACKGROUND
SOURCE: Humane Society of the United States, humanesociety@hsus.org
As soon as Tuesday, July 31, the Agriculture Appropriations bill will be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote, and it contains language that will finally stop the practice of American horses being hauled to slaughter plants for human consumption, both in this country and to Mexico and Canada.
We expect an amendment will be offered to strip this horse protection language from the bill. The slaughter industry is
claiming that this language will stop the movement of all horses — but the bill will only affect horses who are being sent to slaughter.
TAKE ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Representative today and urge support for a ban on horse slaughter in the
Agriculture Appropriations bill. Make sure to point out that this bill only prevents the slaughter of horses for human consumption and the
export of horses for slaughter.
CONTACT INFORMATION
To identify your U.S. Representative and find contact info, try:
Congress.org: http://www.Congress.org
USA House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov
Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121
A call is easy. A staff member will take your message and pass it to your legislator. You can say:
"Hello, this is [your name]. I am a voting constituent from [your town]. I urge Representative [your Rep's name] to support language in the Agriculture Appropriations bill that seeks to ban horse slaughter. I strongly object to any amendment that would remove this provision. I oppose the needless slaughter of horses for human consumption. Thank you for your consideration."
SAMPLE LETTERThe Honorable Representative _____________________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Representative _____________________________________,
I am a registered voter in your district who cares deeply about safeguarding American horses. I respectfully ask you to uphold language in the Agriculture Appropriations bill that bans horse export and slaughter for the purpose of human consumption.
The FY08 Agriculture Appropriations bill includes language to shield our horses from slaughter plants in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This critical stipulation only inhibits the export and killing of horses designated for human consumption. Horses intended for other use, such as race or show, may still leave the U.S. and all disease programs for live horses are retained.
Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of butchering horses for overseas consumption. Yet the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports a more than 300% surge in the tally of horses transported to equine plants in Mexico and Canada this year.
Horse slaughter is profoundly inhumane. Discarded show horses, racehorses, Premarin industry foals, wild horses, carriage horses, and family companions are shipped from auction to slaughter inside double-deck livestock trucks built for smaller animals. Deprived of food, water or rest, most arrive weak, dehydrated and injured after treks that last up to 30 hours.
At the processing plant horses are herded into holding pens, where they subsist amid the inescapable stench of blood and death. On the killing floor, workers fire metal shunts into their brains. The captive bolt pistols (crafted for cows, sheep and pigs) are rarely forceful enough to stun these long-necked animals. Dangling by a shackled rear leg, some regain consciousness as their throats are slit and their bodies dismembered.
Please advocate retention of language to ban the export and slaying of our horses for diners in Italy, France, Belgium, and Japan. I strongly encourage you to oppose any amendments designed to strip this provision. I am among the majority of U.S. voters who want elected officials to defund horse slaughter in the FY08 Agriculture Appropriations bill.
Thank you for making a difference,
