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House considers ban on killing horses for food
Staff and agencies
By STEPHANIE S. GARLOW, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - One menu item could soon disappear from foreign dinner tables: meat from slaughtered American horses.
Witnesses at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Thursday recounted graphic stories of the methods of slaughter and provided photos of bloodied horses.
The last three horse slaughterhouses in the United States closed in 2007 but horses are currently exported to Mexico and Canada for slaughter there.
The bill under consideration would criminalize the domestic or international sale, delivery or receipt of horses for processing for human consumption. The House passed a similar measure last year but not the Senate.
Some veterinarians say a ban on slaughter would eliminate a necessary end-of-life option for unwanted horses.
The sides disagree about what percent of slaughtered horses are unwanted and whether there are sufficient rescue facilities to deal with the animals if slaughter were outlawed.
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For bill text: http://thomas.loc.gov/
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare: http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/index.php
American Association of Equine Practitioners: http://www.aaep.org/
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