Rather, the continued availability of horse slaughter has only enabled and perpetuated overbreeding, neglect and irresponsibility. (12), According to American Horse Council Foundation (2017) data, 45 states in America have over, Top horse states with the highest number of horses are Texas with 767,100 horses, California with 534,500 horses, and Florida with 387,100 horses. The cost of most recreational horses will be under $10,000. The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act contains clear provisions prohibiting the export of horses for slaughter abroad, as well as clear enforcement and penalty provisions. Bulletin #1004, Equine Facts: Guide to First-Time Horse Ownership. Many racehorses never have a home or form bonds with other people or horses. These and other materials are being incorporated into an expanded sanctuary accreditation program via the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. Researching this series, one point became apparent - organizations on all sides of the issue were citing approximate numbers of equines shipped across U.S. borders for slaughter - no one really knows exactly how many horses are exported for slaughter. McLean VA, 22102 There is also no logic in suggesting that horses currently going to slaughter would need to be euthanized and disposed of following passage of the Save . ~ Providing Timely, Accurate and Useful Statistics in Service to U.S. Agriculture ~, County and District Geographic Boundaries, Crop Condition and Soil Moisture Analytics, Agricultural Statistics Board Corrections, Still time to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, USDA to follow up with producers who have not yet responded, Still time to respond to the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture, USDA to follow-up with producers who have not yet responded (Puerto Rico - English), 2022 Census of Agriculture due next week Feb. 6, Corn and soybean production down in 2022, USDA reports According to equine industry research, an average equestrian spends upward of $11,335 annually on horse-related products. Special Tabulations and Restricted Microdata, 02/15/23 Still time to respond to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, USDA to follow up with producers who have not yet responded, 02/15/23 Still time to respond to the 2022 Puerto Rico Census of Agriculture, USDA to follow-up with producers who have not yet responded (Puerto Rico - English), 01/31/23 United States cattle inventory down 3%, 01/30/23 2022 Census of Agriculture due next week Feb. 6, 01/12/23 Corn and soybean production down in 2022, USDA reports percentage of resident horses by breed (42.1 percent). The horse owning data shows that most horse owners are not just recreational owners but actively participate in economic activities as well. Heres a quick overview (2) of horse industries impact on GDP. The problem of horse slaughter has been a continuing issue in the United States and throughout the world. No. Just over 100,000 horses were slaughtered in the US 2008. NASS reports a total of 459,526 horse farms in the US, with an agricultural population of 2,847,289 horses. They don't want horse meat served at the dinner table and they don't want their tax dollars spent on inspecting meat bound for foreign markets. Already cosponsors? The yellow USDA export tag means these horses have had . 2022. Boarding and equine-assisted therapy). FDA explained that population estimates are important for helping determine potential eligibility for drugs to be used for minor uses. The SAFE Act would keep U.S. horse slaughter plants shuttered and end the export of horses for human consumption. (22). (19). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator. Animal Welfare Institute, 900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003. Nearly 70% of horse rescue operations are already operating at capacity, if not over capacity. (18) 7. Thousands of American horses are sent to slaughter every year and the vast majority would be rehomed; not every horse going to slaughter needs to go to rescue. Total employment in U.S. broadcasting industries from 2001 to 2020. American Horse Council. Passage of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act will reduce animal suffering, hence its wide support throughout the equestrian and veterinary world, as well as the humane community. A federal law prohibiting horse slaughter is imperative to ensure slaughterhouses dont simply relocate to states with weaker laws and to prevent horses from being exported en masse for slaughter in Canada, Mexico or further abroad. For information regarding any equine health issues, welfare issues, and state, federal and international requirements regarding the movement of horses, please contact Cliff. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator. Animals' Angels obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act for slaughter by breed from the USDA. Quarter horses also represented the majority of horses in the West and South Central regions (55.5 and It is not the government's responsibility to provide for the care of horses voluntarily given up by their owners. A recent study conducted in 2021 shows that the average U.S. horse owner owns 6 horses. Equestrian industry statistics also show that 1,370,000 people volunteer their time for horse-related activities annually. As of August 2007, all US based facilities slaughtering horses for human consumption have been closed. We reached out to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the European Unions (EU) department of Health and Food Safety and Mexicos Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (SAGARPA), with inquiries about each countrys or organizations regulations around horse meat and equines imported for slaughter. The University of Maine. 2020. Horse owners with an income of $150,000 or more accounts for 28%. Millennials account for 42% of all horse owners and 41% of horse owners are over 45 years of age. Sales Summaries, 2022 January Horses of All Ages Sale. Annual income under $50,000 accounts for 15% of horse owners. However, there is no logic in suggesting that all horses currently going to slaughter would need to be euthanized and disposed of following passage of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act. The most common horse breed in Alberta is the American Quarter Horse, with 55% of horse owners having at least one of this breed. Lynda is the membership and communications specialist for the American Horse Council. Analysis of Factors Responsible for Horse Industry Decline Note: This paper prompted a white paper titled,An Analysis of FactorsResponsible for the Decline of the Horse Industry: Why Slaughter is not the Answer. Yes. The Quick Stats Database is the most comprehensive tool for accessing agricultural data published by NASS. You can help keep cruel horse slaughter out of the U.S. and protect people from the threat of toxic horse meat with these simple steps. According to American Horse Council horse-riding figures, 50% of all horse owners earn over $100,000 annually. In addition, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) publishes a report on pets. Animal Welfare Institute, 900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003. The Demographics of the U.S. Equine Population. A staggering 130,000 American horses were slaughtered in Mexico and Canada in 2015, yet the rodeo, racing, and show industriesalong with other irresponsible breederscontinue to churn out hundreds of thousands of horses annually. Text STOP to 77879 to opt out, HELP for info. Suite 6110 U.S. Equestrian. In 2008 he graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Animal Science, where he was an active member of both the animal science club Block & Bridle as well as the agricultural fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho. (3). At the time of writing, SAGARPA has not responded to multiple emails. Are there any other options for horses at risk of going to slaughter? Horse Slaughter Statistics Totals and by Breed It is hard to pin down the numbers as they change year-by-year, but this will provide some reference points. 1901 note; Public Law 104-127)). They usually have impressive bloodlines, are developed for specific purposes, and are imported from other countries. Additionally, 13.2% spectate at horse events but do not own or participate. Thank them for their support! The fact is that horse ownership is expensive, no matter how you look at it. Such is the allure of horse racing that major race-meets such as the Melbourne Cup are even 'celebrated' with public holidays. These numbers are interesting, as for example, the GDP of California, a state with the second-highest number of horses in the U.S., has one of the lowest GDP contribution shares from the horse industry. Horse slaughter plants have been linked to air and water pollution, lowered property values and increased crime rates in the areas where they're located. (3). Horse slaughter, whether in U.S. or foreign plants, was never and cannot be humane because of the nature of the industry and the unique biology of horses. However, this is not true. % 2011 Analysis of GAO report on Horse WelfareExecutive Summary of GAO Analysis, Report to Congress Regarding the Wild Horse and Burro Program, the BLM and the DOI2011, Horse Slaughter Trends from 2006 through 2009, A Study of Equine Slaughter / Abuse Patterns Following the Closure of Horse Slaughter Plants in the US2008, The Relationship Between Horse Slaughter and Reported Cases of Abuse and Neglect2007, Deleting the Fiction 2007False Claims of Abandoned HorsesPart 2Condensed Paper, 2014 Flyer - GeneralAlthough this flyer was created to tie to theWar Horse movie, it is an excellentportrayal of the role horses played in our history.http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/WH-flyer.pdfBack to top of page, The following presentations were created for specific speaking engagements orto assist others with initiatives but can easily be adaptedfor use in your efforts.PowerPoint presentations contain transitions and are best viewed as slide shows rather than individual slides.If you do not have Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010, the following compatibility download isavailable from Microsoft enabling viewing of open XML documents (file extensions.docx, .xlsx and .pptx). Statistics from one of the largest groups assisting owners in the recovery of their stolen horses, Stolen Horse International (netposse.org) show that approximately 60% of horses stolen are killed at slaughter . Muma Business Review, Robyn Lord, University of South Florida. Here are FOIA documents for one supplier for Richelieu, showing each horse by breed, color and gender. CFIAs Media Department stated: All shipments of feeder and slaughter horses entering Canada from the United States by ground transportation are required to proceed through designated ports of entry. In 2007, the slaughter of horses on US soil came to an end when a court ruling upheld a Texas law banning horse slaughter, and similar legislation was passed in Illinois. (33) Everything from de-wormers and grooming products to minerals and trainer fees. They are often seriously injured or killed in transit. 2002. This page contains data, statistics and analysis published in various formssuchaswhite papers, graphs and presentations. Corn stocks down, soybean stocks down from year earlier The inflation-adjusted household income in December 2021 was $211,738.39. Also, the number of head slaughtered only are estimated for bison. 2016. Phone: (202) 337-2332, Shaping Policy for Animals in Laboratories, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Farm Animals Act, Save Americas Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, Traveling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act, Anti-whistleblower (Ag-Gag) Legislation, Cetacean Anti-Captivity Legislation and Laws, Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, United States Legislative Information (external link), How to Communicate Effectively with Legislators, State Wildlife Agency Contact Information, Ending the Slaughter of Nonambulatory Pigs, Basic Guidelines for Operating an Equine Rescue or Retirement Facility, Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, US House Subcommittee Hears Testimony on Federal Legislation to Ban Horse Slaughter, Legislators Decry Forest Service Plan to Condemn Wild Horses to Slaughter, AWI Commends Bipartisan Effort to Stop Horse Slaughter, Animal Welfare Groups Applaud Federal Legislation to Ban Horse Slaughter, Including Pets in Protection Orders: A State-by-State Guide, Organizations and Individuals Opposed to Horse Slaughter, Comments on Legislation, Rulemaking, and Voluntary Standards, Dispelling the Arguments of Captivity Proponents, Swim-with Attractions & Dolphin Assisted Therapy, The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity, Restaurants Currently Offering Shark Fin Soup, Wildlife Management on National Park Service Land, Myths and Facts about Wild Horses and Burros, Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife, Canadian Restaurants Offering Shark Fin Soup, International Shark Finning Bans and Policies, Support for Federal Funding for Beaver Coexistence, Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards, The former US-based, foreign owned horse slaughter companies and a handful of trade associations that support horse slaughter have contributed to the continued export of tens of thousands of America's horses for slaughter in Mexico and Canada either by physically shipping horses to slaughter or by actively opposing legislation banning horse slaughter. It is hard to pin down the numbers as they change year-by-year, but this will provide some reference points. These counts are combined with data from state-administered non-federally inspected slaughter plants to derive total commercial slaughter estimates. In doing so, they are working in tandem with the companies that until recently slaughtered horses here and which now are buying horses in the US and shipping them to their plants in Mexico and Canada. Federally inspected data are summarized weekly and accumulated to a monthly total for the monthly release, while non-federally inspected data are summarized monthly only. Become part of a community working to end all forms of animal cruelty. Horse slaughter is legal in the UK, and we do not allege that workers at F Drury and Sons were breaking animal welfare laws. Additionally, the number of head slaughtered bison are reported. Working at the AHC is a way to give back to the equine community and ensure the long term health of the industry.. Here you will see a break down of horses sent to slaughter by breed. Animals Angels obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act for slaughter by breed from the USDA. According to American Horse Council equestrian statistics (2017), out of all U.S. households, only 1.3% own horses (1.6 million households). Horses are skittish by nature (owing to their heightened fight-or-flight response), which makes accurate pre-slaughter stunning difficult. Approximately 7.25 million horses live in the United States. For information regardingpublic policy, government relations and advocacy, please contact Bryan. Since closure of the domestic plants in the earlier part of 2007 there has been no correlating rise in neglect and abuse cases. However, not every horse currently going to slaughter will need to be absorbed into the rescue community. Has ending domestic horse slaughter damaged the U.S. horse market and led to neglect and abandonment? All operators who slaughter horses for human consumption must get the health and medical history (list of drugs and vaccines, including declaration of any non-permitted substances) of the horse for the 180 days before slaughter and ensure its validity. Equivont. The inflation-adjusted investment portfolio in December 2021 was $724,790.74. There are presently three major organizations that collect and publish data regarding the US horse population, albeit with different target audiences and different definitions. -Call for an end to horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter: Send a letter to the president. Help out at your local horse rescue facility. Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2022. Livestock slaughter data are collected from approximately 800 federally inspected plants and about 1,900 non-federally inspected plants under state inspection. According to research, 20% of horse owners are involved as horse trainers and 17% give lessons and instruction. Have a specific question for one of our subject experts? The equestrian culture data also shows that 60% of equestrians work in managerial positions and 4 out of 5 individuals are members of at least 2 equestrian organizations. Arabian Horse Association. This definition excludes boarding, training and riding facilities; as well as any other operation that fails to generate a minimum of $1,000 in sales of equine products, defined as breeding fees, stud fees, semen or other. Email: askusda@usda.gov Socialites spend thousands on . The Food and Drug Administration utilized both the AVMA survey and information from USDAs periodic surveys of farm animal populations to estimate the U.S. horse population at 3.8 million. You dont need to be an expert on slaughter or even a horse owner. The average price of a riding horse in the U.S. is $3,444. No. Privacy policy. (17) The highest number of horse owners are 45-59 years old. US horse owner age, 2003 and 2016, AHC. Opponents try to claim that slaughtering horses for human consumption is a states rights issue. Some town hall meetings are conducted in person, while others follow a call-in format. 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