Sunday, July 30, 2006

Goodlatte For Slaughtering Horses

Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte (VA-6th) is against a bill in the House of Representatives called the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. Goodlatte against a bill that would stop the killing of horses for meat. The Niagara Falls Reporter has the full story. Here are some excerpts:

...Three Belgian-owned horse-killing plants -- two in Texas and one in Illinois -- slaughter about 95,000 American horses a year, mostly for export to Japan and several European countries, where the flesh is considered a delicacy and goes at retail for about $15 to $23 a pound...

...
The House version of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act progressed nicely through the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week, but then was hijacked by the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Virginia Republican Bob Goodlatte -- who is vigorously opposed to the slaughter ban.

Goodlatte's panel reported the bill out to the House floor -- a seeming victory for its backers -- but did what congressional committees often do when they want to confuse the public. The panel loaded up the proposal with "poison pill" amendments, killer changes in obtuse language that make a hash of the original intent and usually doom the legislation to defeat or terminal delays....

If you care about horses, write/call Rep. Goodlatte with your opinion. Ask him why he is for killing horses for meat.