New EU "Food Safety" Rules Create New Hurdles for Horse Slaughterers'

America's horse slaughter trade faces a massive hurdle as Canada takes the first steps in complying with tough new European Union rules, ...

New requirements set to bite American horse slaughter trade
January 31, 2010

by Neil Clarkson . HorseTalk Magazine


Tough new rules regarding medications have been imposed on the equine slaughter trade.

America's horse slaughter trade faces a massive hurdle as Canada takes the first steps in complying with tough new European Union rules, effective from July 31.

From January 31, horse owners selling animals directly or indirectly to slaughter in Canada must complete and sign a form detailing the medications used in the preceding six months.

While there is list of medications that require a withholding period of six months, others such as the common anti-inflammatory drug, phenylbutazone, or bute, cannot be given to horses at all if they are to enter the human food chain.

The new Canadian requirements, especially as it relates to bute, is likely to hit so-called kill buyers hard, who may struggle to obtain the background of each animal to satisfy European Union requirements.

Bute is one of the most common drugs administered to horses, effective as a painkiller and anti-inflammatory agent.

An estimated 100,000 horses are shipped across US borders each year to slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico, to satisfy mostly European demand for horse meat.

The US has no horse slaughter industry and there is no federally-developed official birth-to-death record kept of each horse's health, medication and vaccinations, as now happens in Europe with horse passports.

US opponents of the slaughter trade in the United States have warned for months that the North American industry will struggle to meet the tough new European Union requirements.

Meat testing is likely to quickly reveal whether the drug-free declarations are working effectively to ensure the meat meets the drug-free requirements.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says horse owners who wish to keep their sale options open should record all vaccines, medications given (administered or fed) and record any occurrence of illness in their animals.

"The collection of this information will better prepare the equine industry for July 31, 2010, when it will be mandatory for all federally inspected equine facilities to have complete records dating back six months for all domestic and imported animals presented for slaughter," it said.

To help owners collect the necessary information, it is launching an Equine Information Document (EID).

It says it is the first step in the development of a comprehensive food safety and traceability programme for the Canadian equine industry, for both domestic and international markets.

Anyone selling a horse may have to provide an EID at ownership transfer, it said.

The previous owner remains liable for the accuracy of information declared in the form, which details the identification of the animal for traceability purposes.

"The document will require an owner-signed declaration to verify the accuracy of the information," the agency said.

It says there are a number of medications and substances that are prohibited from being given to equines intended to be slaughtered for human consumption.

It is unclear what moves Mexico will make, if any, to meet the new European Union requirements.

The merits of a domestic slaughter industry in the United States have been hotly debated. The last plants to close, in Texas and Illinois, primarily served the lucrative European meat trade.

However, it is clear that any redevelopment of such an industry would require a system similar to the European horse passport system to ensure the integrity of the meat supply.

Click on title above for some Q & As';

Pro-Slaughter Activists @ It Again / Subversive Activities

You all may recall a few years back when the pro-slaughter lobbiests and activists engaged in subversive activities in regards to their efforts to prove to the world that there were "so many unwanted horses" that they were being abandoned in the city streets. One of them was actually spotted at a class B horse auction where they purchased an old nag that (somehow) turned up loose in the streets the next day, and was annonymously reported to the media to be an "abandoned" unwanted horse.

Looks like they are still up to their dirty tricks, trying to discredit someone or something.

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Media Matters: Not-so-Breitbart and the story of James O'Keefe

Back in September, right-wing activist James O'Keefe told Fox News host Glenn Beck that he was "willing to serve prison time" for his work.

That just may happen.

According to an affidavit from the FBI, O'Keefe and three others were arrested on Monday in connection with an alleged plot to "interfer[e]" with the phone system in Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office. O'Keefe is perhaps best known for the heavily edited and misleading undercover videos he and Hannah Giles shot of low-level ACORN employees while the right-wing duo were dressed as a pimp and prostitute, an escapade that itself may have violated state criminal statutes.

The New York Times reports that "the four men, two of whom were dressed as telephone repairmen, were charged with entering a federal property on false pretenses with the purpose of committing a felony. The crime charged is itself a felony that carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison."

As Media Matters' Eric Hananoki noted, O'Keefe's three alleged accomplices -- Joseph Basel, Robert Flanagan, and Stan Dai -- are right-wing activists as well. Basel was the founder of a conservative campus publication at the University of Minnesota-Morris, which, like the campus publication started by O'Keefe at Rutgers University, received funding from the conservative Leadership Institute's "Balance in Media" grant. Flanagan, the son of acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana William Flanagan, reportedly works at the conservative Pelican Institute in New Orleans, just half a block from Landrieu's office. Dai received $5,000 from the right-wing Phillips Foundation's Ronald Reagan Future Leaders Scholarship Program. Additionally, during his time as a campus conservative, Dai reportedly co-wrote "a satirical work entitled The Penis Monologues, apparently a takeoff on the Vagina Monologues."

News of the four's arrest spread quickly Tuesday.

Because Fox News had showered O'Keefe's undercover video work targeting ACORN with near wall-to-wall coverage, one would have hoped the conservative network would provide comparable coverage of the arrest -- it did not. In fact, a Media Matters study comparing coverage of the day following the release of O'Keefe and Giles' first ACORN tape and the day news of O'Keefe's arrest broke found that Fox News provided 13 times more coverage to the video.

Fox News' first segment on O'Keefe's arrest was as funny as it was disappointing (view it here). During the report, assignment manager Tim Gaughan called the news a "very weird story that probably needs a lot of context and a lot of looking into." Sage advice -- too bad the network often didn't offer ACORN the same deference.

It really shouldn't be much of a surprise that Fox News handled the O'Keefe arrest with such kid gloves. After the release of his ACORN videos, Fox and other media conservatives lavished praise on O'Keefe. Beck called him "courageous." Andrew Breitbart -- more on him in a bit -- said that O'Keefe "is already well on his way to being one of the great journalists" and that he deserved a Pulitzer Prize. Sean Hannity applauded him as a "pioneer in journalism." Bill O'Reilly said he deserved a "congressional medal." Right-wing author Ann Coulter said O'Keefe was "so magnificent." National Review editor Rich Lowry said he deserved an "award for impactful guerilla journalism." On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace featured O'Keefe as "Power Player of the Week." And when news came that O'Keefe might be sued by ACORN or its staffers over the videos, Hannity and Breitbart led the conservative media fundraising campaign for his defense.

The fact that the right-wing media were so smitten with O'Keefe no doubt accounts for their skittish, measured response to the arrest. The Fox News website Fox Nation even posted a headline that read " 'There's Much More to This Story.' "

Perhaps no one in the conservative media has more to lose over this story than the previously mentioned Breitbart, a protégé of Internet gossip Matt Drudge and proprietor of a variety of right-wing websites including BigGovernment.com. After all, he was first to champion the undercover ACORN videos O'Keefe and Giles shot last year.

Breitbart claimed that he was "out of the loop on this" and released a public statement to some in the press saying he had "no knowledge" "or connection to" O'Keefe's actions. Breitbart also admitted during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he pays O'Keefe a "fair salary" so that "when he puts a story out there, it's on the Breitbart sites, the Big sites, that he can tell people what transpired." He reiterated during that interview that he was not connected with O'Keefe's actions in Landrieu's office.

It's been entertaining watching Breitbart lecture others on journalistic ethics when he's shown such little regard for truth in his own work. In fact, according to a report released this week by Media Matters, Breitbart's "Big" websites -- Big Hollywood, Big Government, and Big Journalism -- as well as his Breitbart.tv website, have in recent months laid claim to many "exclusives," touting controversial and sensationalist storylines that have been picked up by other conservative media outlets, from Fox News on down. However, a closer examination reveals that many of Breitbart's "scoops" have been based on speculation, gross distortions, and outright falsehoods.

Later in the week, Breitbart brought his ACORN video lies and full-throated defense of O'Keefe to MSNBC, where he was subjected to a grilling by David Shuster that was followed up by an interview with Media Matters' Eric Boehlert, who said Breitbart's type of journalism produces "the kind of Johnny Knoxville situation we get down in New Orleans."

Ultimately, Breitbart predicted "there will be tape to vindicate these four pranksters." Yep, the man who previously said O'Keefe deserved a Pulitzer is now calling him a "prankster." How's that for spin?

Breitbart continued to function as O'Keefe's de facto public relations flack as the week came to an end, posting a statement that "[o]n reflection, I could have used a different approach to this investigation" on his websites. Of course, Fox News is doing its part, trumpeting news of an exclusive O'Keefe interview with Hannity coming next week.

So, how on earth could James O'Keefe think for even a minute that these types of actions might be a good idea? The answer to that question can be found in his own words from just two weeks ago.

During an interview with Adam Weinberg of The Centurion -- the right-wing student publication at Rutgers University that claims O'Keefe as a "founding editor" -- Breitbart's protégé said, "The more bold you are, the more opportunities will be open to you. The less bold you are, the less opportunities in life will be open to you." He went on: "[T]he more you put yourself out there and you take those calculated risks -- the contrary of what people actually think is going to happen -- you're actually going to get opportunities."

That's the life lesson O'Keefe learned from his relationship with Andrew Breitbart -- the man who made him a right-wing star and Fox News celebrity.

Ultimately, a jury of O'Keefe's peers may decide his fate, but it should be lost on no one that Breitbart and his allies at Fox News share in the responsibility for what has been alleged to have transpired.

Saving Americas Horses; A Nation Betrayed / Come Stand w/ US!

A Production


Saving Americas Horses - A Nation Betrayed
Film-makers message;
http://www.savingamericashorses.org/filmmakermessage.html

Due to an overwhelming amount of responses by people wanting to be recognized on the film website for their support of our cause, we have a new link for people to use when they want to Come Stand With Us. For those who are forwarding our invitation to their friends in support this effort, please use the link below to replace the email link in any future outgoing emails.

Click on title above to go there;
http://www.savingamericashorses.org/join_comestandwithus.html


To learn more about this effort, please visit Come Stand With Us
http://www.savingamericashorses.org/Come_Stand_With_us.pdf

Thank you to all those who have sent in emails requesting to be included. We are adding new names to the Recognition pages everyday. Please allow 2-5 days for your names to be added.

Thank you for your support.

For the horses and burros~

Katia Louise
Saving America's Horses - A Nation Betrayed
http://www.savingamericashorses.org
Protection for all Equines From Slaughter

BLOGGERS NOTE: You can support this most worthy effort by going to the link below where you can donate to the cause of exposing the abuse, neglect and slaughter of Americas Horses. This is going to be one hell of an expository film!

http://www.savingamericashorses.org/donations.html

Thanks for caring.

No Such Thing as an Un-Wanted Horse / Dispelling the Pro-Slaughter Myth

Wild for Life Foundation - Exposing the Truth

Homeless YES! "Unwanted" NO

Have you or someone you know been misled or duped about horse slaughter? Horse slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia. The so called "unwanted horse problem" is a phrase coined by the AAEP to support their position in favor of horse slaughter. You may be a follower, or be a member of one of the entities listed below and not even realize that they are actively fighting to reopen horse slaughter plants in the US. You or an organization you belong to might even be parroting their favorite pro slaughter argument; the so called "unwanted horse problem". You may be supporting an entity that has aligned with UHC's position even though you remain adamantly against horse slaughter. Your own rescue organization may even be listed on the Unwanted Horse Coalition's website as a supporter without your knowledge or permission… Please Beware!! Pro slaughter proponents have one of the strongest lobbyists around; the Ag Department. (The US Department of Agriculture) A Partial Listing of some of the entities that support horse slaughter, or that are listed as member organizations of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (a pro slaughter proponent) are listed below:
* AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners)
* AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)
* UOH (United Org of the Horse) * The Unwanted Horse Coalition
* AQHA (American Quarter Horse Association)
* United Horseman's Front
* AHC (American Horse Council) * The Jockey Club * American Humane Association * Various State Horse Councils * American Paint Horse Association * US Cattlemen’s Assn * Arabian Horse Association * Maryland Horse Breeders Association
* California Thoroughbred Breeders Association * Various Farm Bureaus The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) and the UOH (United Org of the Horse) supports horse slaughter. Their theme is to restore horse meat processing (aka horse slaughter) in the US to control the so-called “unwanted horse problem” and what they claim to be the overpopulation of wild and feral horses on federal, state, tribal, and private lands.
(More)
For a more complete list of entities that are on record as supporting horse slaughter, click here. Current Unwanted Horse Coalition Member Organizations
The UHC is clever to list rescues as available facilities. If not for their position in support of horse slaughter it might make sense to be affiliated with them in this way. We at WFLF have to wonder how many rescues inadvertently trust the misinformation propagated by the UHC, the AVMSA and the AAEP. We understand that rescues are busy saving horses and don’t have time to do their own research and discovery. Even the majority of members in the veterinary community simply rely on information put out by these types of organizations, when in truth the slaughter process has been found to be very inhumane.
WFLF suggest that Anti slaughter supports use caution when connecting with new friends and or joining new groups on social websites like facebook and MySpace, etc. Pro slaughter proponents have been increasingly clever with distributing misguided information. (UOH)
© Wild for Life Foundation 2010 www.savingamericashorses.org

Cross Country Ballon Trip to Raise Awareness about Horse Abuse

Click on title above for more hot air from The Onion "The Worlds Finest News,"
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/man_who_crossed_nation_in_balloon

More Pro-BS / Same Ole Silly & Stoopid Arguments

Have some fun with comments on this one!



Click on title above to go to original publication to comment; Thanks VT for passing this one along.

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100121/OPINION03/1210312/1014/OPINION/We-need-to-re-establish-horse-slaughtering



We need to re-establish horse slaughtering





Legal restraints force me to refer to them as special interest groups with one having headquarters in Washington, D.C., and financed by mega west-coast dollars. Only in America do we let special interests dictate how we conduct our business. The use of our tax dollars to appease the special interest groups make it our business.



Our families have always been horse enthusiasts, and we have always had horses, but there is a very real need for re-establishing horse slaughtering. This is a viable commodity, just as are cattle and hogs, and should be re-introduced into the food chain here in the U.S. -- if not for human then for all the other carnivorous critters on this earth. There is a real market for the meat and byproducts derived from a horse. Lots of foreign countries feature horse meat on their menus daily, including Canada, Mexico and France. During the Depression and both world wars, we ate horse meat, and some were glad to have it.



It is more humane to dispose of old and unwanted horses in this manner than to just abandon them, dumping them out randomly, with no food, water or protection from the weather, not to mention the hazards of hitting a 1,000-pound abandoned horse standing in the middle of the road. The same holds true with the wild mustangs in the western states. What these special interest groups fail to realize is the fact wild mustangs are just that -- wild animals, much the same as a wild deer or moose. You see with these special interest people, it's an anatomy problem. Their heart is in the right place; it's their head that's stuck in the wrong place.



When asked if they would be willing to cough up the money to keep these animals and provide food, water, shelter, vet services and carry liability insurance for the rest of the animals' life, you bet they said "no."



This endeavor would do several things, especially if several states would adopt this program, like create employment and help clean up and help preserve the environment. It would cull the over-crowded herds that compete for range land in the west, and finally, we are again using a natural resource. This is a humane commonsense solution to the problem.

Congressional Hearing Set for Horse Slaughter Bill (HR 503)

A hearing has been set on Feb. 2, 2010 before a Congressional subcommittee on H.R. 503, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, a bill that would stop the export of American horses to foreign slaughter houses for human consumption and basically end the commercial trade and transport of American horses for slaughter for human consumption. Go here for more information and how you can take action to help pass this bill:

Click on title above for more details;
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/567

Slaughter-House Sues Song

Click on title above to go to YouTube Vid & "Sues Song," and get ready to laugh your ass off! Thanks for whomever created this delightful piece.

Sue Wallis to Host Denmarks Annual Slaughter-Fest

Next Host of Denmarks Annual Dolphin-Kill Bloodbath


In effort to improve trade relatons with Denmark, and to solidify her commitment to Slaughter, blood-lust & killing, Congress-woman Sue Wallis will be hosting that country’s annual dolphin-kill event. It is her hope to be able to work out a contractual arrangement whereby American Horses can be shipped to Denmark to be slaughtered and made into steaks,…much the same as they do their dolphins. Guess her message in hosting the event is to prove that she is NOT afraid to get blood on her hands and/or to globalize her bloody-ideas. Click on title above to see what Slaughter-Happy Sue will be doing in Denmark next year; (WARNING) Very graphic pics

http://gojustice.webs.com/denmarksdolphinkills.htm