As a result of the ban on slaughtering horses for meat, the market is now saturated with a supply of horses and not enough demand. Horses are a dime a dozen thanks to legislation that fails to meet the real need.

The U.S. is shirking its responsibility by allowing our horses to be shipped to Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses where we have no say about how these animals are treated. Unwanted horses are now being turned out on public property or dumped on rural roads to starve to death. It’s happening right in our own backyard!

The solution requires the Legislature to recognize the need for processing plants within the U.S. that ethically provide this needed service. By strictly regulating the transport and procedures used to put down these animals, the horse market stands a fair chance at recovery.

No one likes the idea of putting down a horse, but it is sometimes necessary and Senate Bill 311 fails miserably to provide an ethical solution to this growing problem. It’s critical for those who share my view to contact their congressmen/women immediately in order to stop S-311 from becoming law, including Senators Obama and McCain, who both support this ridiculous bill. S-311 could potentially send a horse owner to prison for unintentionally selling an equine to someone who chooses to slaughter the animal for human consumption. The proposed legislation leaves the responsible horse owner few options and denies us basic civil rights.

What will Animal Rights activists posing as “Horse Advocates” tackle next? Look out, pork, cattle and poultry industries!

Lisa Aslesen

Ottumwa