Purpose: This bill would prohibit the transportation of horses in interstate transportation in “double deck” trailers.
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Status: Referred to the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Action: SUPPORT. Please contact your Representative and urge him/her to support H.R. 305. Tell your Representative that horses are companion animals that have shaped American history and they should be protected during transport. Horses sent to slaughter are treated with extreme cruelty, which can include transportation over long distances in double-deck trailers.
Talking Points for Your Letter
- If enacted into law, H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, will prohibit the transportation of horses in interstate transportation in “double deck” trailers.
- Vehicular incidents involving equine transport have shed light on the serious risks of double-deck transport to horses, including the rollover of a double-deck trailer in Illinois that resulted in the deaths of 18 of 59 equines.
- Published studies indicate that more equines are injured during transport in double-deck trailers than in single-deck trailers.
- Today in the United States many horses, whether former companion animals or racing horses, face the agony of slaughter for food. It is estimated that the foreign-owned horse slaughter industry has slaughtered and exported for human consumption 3 million American horses during the last two decades. Some of the horses slaughtered in these plants have been hauled more than one thousand miles over several days, contrary to acceptable non-slaughter standards for water, food, and rest.
- Horses sent to slaughter often are shipped on crowded double-deck trailers designed for shorter-necked species such as pigs, cattle and sheep. As a result, horses transported in this manner are forced to travel in a bent position, which can result in suffering and injury.
- The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) opposes the use of double-deck trailers for the transportation of equines because of safety concerns. In addition, the AVMA encourages state and federal agencies that govern the transport of equines to adopt rules, regulations, and enforcement provisions that ensure equines are transported humanely.
- Horses have played a significant role in the history and culture of the United States. As companion and recreational animals, horses should be protected during transport.