Equine Legislative Issues of Interest
to Wisconsin Horse Owners

Date

The Honorable [Insert Senator or Representative's Name]
United States House of Representative or Senate
Senate or House Office Building and room number
Washington, D.C. zip

Dear Congressman/ woman or Senator [insert name]:

(I/We) (am/ are) writing to urge you to support a proposed Government Accountability Office (GAO) study of the status of horse welfare as it relates to the closing of horse processing plants in the United States.

Recently, Senate Report 111-39 accompanying the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010 (S. 1406) directed the GAO to study this issue.

The GAO study would specifically examine the following issues.

How the horse industry has responded to the closure of U.S. horse slaughter facilities in terms of both the numbers of horse sales, exports, adoptions, or abandonments; the implications these changes have had on farm income and trade; the extent to which horses in the United States are slaughtered for any purpose; any impacts to State and local governments and animal protection organizations; how the Department oversees the transport of horses destined for slaughter in foreign countries, particularly Canada and Mexico; the manner in which the Department coordinates with the Department of the Interior and State governments to assist them in identifying, holding and transporting unwanted horses for foreign export; and general conclusions regarding the welfare of horses as a result of a ban on horse slaughter for human consumption.

The Committee language directs the GAO to issue its report by March 1, 2010.

As a member of the Conference Committee that will reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of this appropriations bill we ask you to support retaining this language directing the GAO study this issue in the Final Conference Report.

A GAO study of the closure of horse processing plants and the effect on horse welfare is widely supported by the horse industry and horse owners. Currently, there is little hard data on this issue. Such a study could provide valuable information to Congress and the horse industry as it deals with the unwanted horse issue.

If you have any questions regarding this issue in [insert your state], please contact (me / us). Thank you for taking the time to listen to (my/ our) concerns.

Sincerely,