Willie Nelson

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 Amy Nelson with Francesca who was rescued by Willie Nelson

Washington, DC (January 9, 2008) – Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) has just issued a new white paper entitled “Horse Slaughter – Its Ethical Impact and Subsequent Response of the Veterinary Profession.” The white paper was created to address misinformation being circulated by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and other organizations opposing a potential ban on horse slaughter in the US and exportation of horses for slaughter.

In December of 2007 several VEW veterinarians met with legislators in Washington, DC to discuss the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 311), a bill that will prohibit the slaughter of horses in the US or their export for the same purpose. They were shocked by the amount of misinformation purposely being spread by the AVMA and groups including the horse slaughterhouses themselves who are all part of a coalition called the Horse Welfare Coalition.

To address this, VEW has released a white paper clearing addressing the inaccuracies. The paper contains detailed supporting information, something largely absent from materials produced by the pro-horse slaughter advocates.

“I submitted a letter to the editor of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in response to the AVMA’s latest ‘fact sheet’ on horse slaughter but it was rejected,” stated Dr. Nick Dodman a co-founder of VEW. “It is a shame to see a professional organization work so hard to undermine something such as the horse slaughter ban based on speculation and unsubstantiated information.” Dr. Nick Dodman went on to say, “as veterinarians we are bound a code of ethics to prevent animal suffering, not hinder animal protection measures in order to promote economic interests.”

A recent release from the AVMA points to the dramatic increase of horses being sent to slaughter in Mexico from the US. While the increase is disconcerting, advocates of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act have always indicated this would happen without passage of the federal ban. It has been because of opposition to the bill by the AVMA and other pro-horse slaughter groups that the federal ban has thus far failed to pass. . Had they worked with those advocating the humane treatment of horses, horse slaughter and the export of horses to Mexico would have been halted years ago and enormous animal suffering would have been relieved.

“It is time to stop the rhetoric and political backhanded tricks that have been blocking passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/ S. 311),” said Dr. Theo Antikas, another co-founder of VEW. “We must all work together for positive change that will help end the suffering of tens of thousands of American horses.”

To view “Horse Slaughter – Its Ethical Impact and Subsequent Response of the Veterinary Profession”,

click here: http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/white_paper.php

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Email: info@vetsforequinewelfare.org

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