The Impact of the Burns Amendment on Wild Horse Protection

The 2004 Burns Amendment to the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act significantly weakened federal protections for wild horses. This legislation allows the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell older and unadoptable animals at livestock auctions, where they are often purchased by kill buyers. Despite public opposition, this plan was eventually enacted, marking a pivotal moment in wild horse conservation.

The Legislative Background

Congress aimed to reduce spending on the wild horse program, which was initially inflated by the aggressive removal of wild horses from public lands to benefit special interests, particularly the livestock industry. A 1991 GAO report found no evidence that wild horses negatively impact public lands, where they are vastly outnumbered by private cattle. In fact, a 1982 National Academy of Sciences report identified private livestock as the primary cause of overgrazing on public lands, yet these cattle contribute less than 3% to America's beef supply.

BLM's Budget Increase and Round-Ups

In 2001, the BLM requested a budget increase to $29 million annually to remove approximately 24,000 horses. By early 2004, Nevada sought an additional $7.6 million for round-ups, despite saturated adoption pipelines and holding facilities. Contracts were awarded to private ranchers in the Midwest to manage the overflow, incurring significant taxpayer expense. These temporary measures foreshadowed future developments, as the BLM's round-ups continued despite ethical and economic concerns.

The Sonora Wild Horse Repatriation Project

A Montana rancher proposed sending 10,000 wild horses to Mexico, a major horse meat supplier, under the guise of the "Sonora Wild Horse Repatriation Project." Although federal wild horse protection thwarted this plan, it highlighted the need for alternative strategies. Enter Senator Burns and his stealth amendment.

"BLM had asked Congress for an additional 36 million dollars over 4 years to implement their new plan because they knew they would be taking approximately 12 thousand wild horses off of public lands per year," explained Cathy Barcomb, Administrator of the Nevada Commission for the Preservation of Wild Horses, at an April 2005 meeting. "They knew it and planned for it. They knew that by the 4th and 5th years that they would have 20,000 horses in holding, that’s what the extra funds were for. [...] [T]hey got all the horses in the sanctuaries, as planned, and then voted into slaughter all of them. I feel it was somewhat of a setup, we were betrayed."

Senator Burns' Defense

Senator Burns defended his amendment by stating, "I'm in the livestock business, and I've bought and sold horses all my life. Basically, the marketplace works." However, history shows that when horses are sold for $10 - 25 each, the marketplace facilitates the brutal deaths of thousands of wild horses in foreign slaughter plants, contrary to the wishes of most Americans.