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• Amends the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption.
• Increases the appropriation for enforcement of the Horse Protection Act to $5M dollars.

• Treated humanely and with dignity.
• Transported to the production facility according to the regulations approved by the USDA in 2001. (These regulations phase out the use of double-deck trailers, and address humane care and husbandry practices).
• Euthanized in a humane manner in accordance with the guidelines established by the AVMA.

• Disposition of Affected Horses: H.R. 503/S. 311 does not address the status of the unwanted horses affected by this bill. Approximately 90,000 unwanted horses per year will need to find an alternative home, or will need to be euthanized and have their carcasses properly disposed of.
  • Euthanasia, if necessary, must be done in accordance with approved methods as outlined in the most current Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia.
  • In cooperation with the equine community, USDA and state departments of agriculture need to develop and implement programs to educate present and future horse owners about the proper care of horses, including disposition options when the horse is no longer wanted, or is no longer useful to the owner.
• Costs Related to the Care of the Horses: Under the proposed American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), care must potentially be provided for an additional 90,000 horses annually. The American Association of Equine Practitioners estimates that basic subsistence care would cost approximately $1825/horse/year resulting in needed funds of more than $164 million/year during the first year of enactment. In addition, whereas there may initially be 90,000 horses to care for, during subsequent years that number could be expected to increase by up to 90,000 per year, with a corresponding increase in cost. This bill does not address financial support required for unwanted horses that are voluntarily given up by their owners to horse rescue facilities. Inadequate funding has a huge potential to create opportunities for inadequate care.
• Animal Welfare: The AHSPA does not address the welfare of horses that will not be slaughtered. Many of these unwanted horses will be donated to horse rescue and retirement facilities, which are not regulated by any governmental body. While many of these facilities are well run, regulations must be put in place to establish standards of care to ensure the humane care of these unwanted horses.
  • Regulatory oversight must be established for rescue and retirement facilities to assure the proper husbandry, treatment and welfare of the animals under their care. Additional appropriations must be provided to the regulatory body that will oversee these facilities.
• Environmental Concerns Related to Horse Carcass Disposal: The primary options to dispose of horse carcasses, other than processing at slaughter facilities, include burial, rendering, cremation, placement in a landfill, and composting. However, disposal regulations and methods are state and county issues, and they vary from locale to locale. Not all options are available to all horse owners in all areas, and the inevitable disposal of an additional 90,000 horse carcasses per year will create environmental problems. The cost of disposal for a horse carcass also varies widely by state, from $10 to $1500, depending on the method of disposal. There is also concern about soil contamination from euthanasia drugs in buried carcasses.
  • More research is needed on cost effective environmentally friendly carcass disposal methods. These methods need to be in accordance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulatory policies to prevent public and animal health issues. Any legislation must be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Statement.