Help Pass the Prohibit Equine Slaughter For Human Consumption Act in Colorado
Colorado residents have a crucial opportunity to protect horses from slaughter with the introduction of the Prohibit Equine Slaughter For Human Consumption Act (SB23-038). This legislation aims to criminalize equine slaughter for human consumption and ban the import and export of horses for this purpose. Your support is vital in advancing this bill through the Colorado legislature.
About the Legislation
The Prohibit Equine Slaughter For Human Consumption (SB23-038) Act seeks to establish the crime of equine slaughter for human consumption and prohibit the importation and exportation of horses in Colorado for that purpose.
Upcoming Hearing
This Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 1:30 PM MT, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on SB23-038. There will be an opportunity for public testimony. If you’re unable to attend, you can also submit written comments in support of banning horse slaughter for human consumption in Colorado.
Sign up to testify or submit your comments (https://www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2023A/commsumm.nsf/signIn.xsp)
Talking Points for Testimony
- I support SB23-038 to protect Colorado equines from slaughter.
- Each year, thousands of American horses, including those from Colorado, are exported to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered for human consumption in foreign markets.
- Horse slaughter is inherently cruel, with horses facing trauma and suffering at every step of the process—from inhumane conditions at kill pens and long transports across the border without food, water, or rest, to a brutal death in foreign slaughter plants.
- America is not a horse-eating nation. Horses in our country are considered companions and partners in work and sport, not food animals.
- Wild horses and burros are protected under federal law, and horse slaughter is not a solution for their management. There are better options, such as fertility control, for keeping these animals in balance with their environment.
- Captured wild horses and burros are at a higher risk of ending up in Colorado’s slaughter pipeline due to the federal Adoption Incentive Program, which pays adopters $1,000 to adopt a wild, unhandled animal. Abuse in this program is widespread, with individuals collecting the incentive payments and then sending their animals to slaughter auctions.
- SB23-038 aligns with the wishes of the 80% of Americans who oppose horse slaughter.
- I urge you to vote in favor of SB23-038 to protect Colorado’s horses, both domestic and wild.