From the Animal Welfare Institute

www.awionline.org

 

 

 

November 9, 2011

 

URGENT eALERT:  Constituent-Only Phone Calls Needed: Keep Taxpayers From Funding U.S. Horse Slaughter Inspections!

 

Dear Humanitarian,

 

Your help is needed on behalf of our nation’s horses. Until 2007, three foreign-owned slaughterhouses in the U.S. butchered horses for markets in Europe and Asia, where horse meat is considered a delicacy. Because of tremendous opposition from the American public and horse owners, Congress has prevented horse slaughter in the U.S. by putting language in its annual Agriculture Appropriations Bill prohibiting your tax dollars from being used to inspect horse meat.  This language is in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill the House passed just a few months ago.

 

Even though the current Congress claims it is trying to reduce government spending, a couple of Members are trying to resume funding for inspections of horse slaughterhouses—a step that could allow them to reopen on U.S. soil!  Unless the American people speak up, two or three Members of Congress will succeed in blocking the will of the American public and the majority of Congress without any say in the matter.  They will quietly remove the language without a vote and that is not how our Congress should operate.

 

Check out the list below to see if you have either a U.S. Senator or Representative serving on the Conference Committee that is currently debating the Agriculture  Appropriations Bill.  This committee will play a pivotal role in determining whether horse slaughter returns to the United States. You may have an elected official in a key position to help retain this important language defunding inspections of horse slaughter facilities and he/she needs to hear from you TODAY!

 

What You Can Do

 

Because Congress is acting on this issue right now, a call is the best option for having your voice heard.  Place a brief, polite phone call to your legislator and say:

 

“As a  constituent (and if you own a horse let them know), I ask that you retain language in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill that bans the use of our limited tax dollars to fund horse slaughterhouse inspections.  Maintaining this prohibition is of great importance to me and I will be watching for the final outcome.”

 

Making the call will be fast and easy, and could make a real difference for thousands of American horses while we work to pass a permanent ban on horse slaughter.  You can also check out AWI’s Compassion Index to see how your legislator stands on the issue of horse slaughter and other animal protection measure.

 

Please ONLY call the legislator listed alongside the state you live in:

 

Alabama:             Senator Richard Shelby (202) 224-5744

Arkansas:            Senator Mark Pryor (202) 224-2353

Arizona:               Representative Ed Pastor (202) 225-4065

California:            Senator Dianne Feinstein (202) 224-3841

Connecticut:      Representative Rosa DeLauro (202) 225-3661

Florida:                 Representative Bill Young (202) 225-5961

Georgia:               Representative Jack Kingston (202) 225-5831

Hawaii:                 Senator Daniel Inouye (202) 224-3934

Iowa:                     Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254

Kansas:                 Senator Jerry Moran (202) 224-6521

Kentucky:            Senator Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541

Massachusetts: Representative John Olver (202) 225-5335

Maryland:           Senator Barbara Mikulski (202) 224-4654

Maine:                  Senator Susan Collins (202) 224-2523

Missouri:             Senator Roy Blunt (202) 224-5721

Mississippi:         Senator Thad Cochran (202) 224-5054

North Carolina: Representative David Price (202) 225-1784

North Dakota:   Senator John Hoeven (202) 224-2551

Nebraska:           Senator Ben Nelson (202) 224-6551

Ohio:                     Senator Sherrod Brown (202) 224-2315

Pennsylvania:    Representative Chaka Fattah (202) 225-4001

South Dakota:   Senator Tim Johnson (202) 224-5842

Texas:                   Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (202) 224-5922

Virginia:                Representative Frank Wolf (202) 225-5136

Washington:      Representative Norm Dicks (202) 225-5916

Wisconsin:          Senator Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653

 

Please help us to alert everyone that their calls are vital to keep limited tax dollars from being used to slaughter American horses.  Be sure to share this Dear Humanitarian eAlert with friends, family and coworkers, and encourage them to take action today!

 

Thank you,

Chris

 

____________________________

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

 

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

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