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Prepared Statement of The Honorable Cliff Stearns H.R. 503, a bill to amend the Horse Protection Act
Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Good afternoon. Our hearing today on H.R. 503, a bill to amend the "Horse Protection Act," is surrounded by passionate advocates on both sides of the bill. What is notable is that all the passionate advocates care deeply about the welfare of horses, humane conditions for their care, and have strong opinions about what this bill could mean for their livelihoods, the horse industry, and the beloved horses they all care about. First, I'd like to thank my friend and colleague, Chairman Ed Whitfield, for his hard work in bringing this important issue to the fore, his strong commitment to the welfare of horses, and his support for a comprehensive and objective hearing so members will be able to understand better the issues involved and the positions of the various stakeholders. H.R. 503 amends the "Horse Protection Act" to prohibit the "shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse or other equine to be slaughtered for human consumption." Violators of the prohibitions in the bill would be subject to specified criminal and civil penalties and prison terms. The authorization for administering the Horse Protection Act would be increased from $500,000 to $5 million annually. The bill is intended to prevent the transportation and processing of horses for food and other products and the alleged inhumane treatment of those animals in their transportation and slaughter in the process. The bill permits the USDA to detain for examination and evidence any horse for which it has probable cause that the animal will be slaughter and processed for food. I think both sides can agree that the case of the abandoned or "unwanted" horse is one we all want to resolve. Supporters of H.R. 503 contend that many of the horses headed for the processing facilities suffer injury and severe stress in transport and face an inhumane death under substandard conditions. They argue that the markets for the horse meat products produced at these processing facilities -- mainly in Europe and Japan -- perpetuate these inhumane conditions and contribute to abuse of American horses. The opponents of H.R. 503 argue that the "unwanted" horse is one of the main reasons there is a market for these animals at these processing facilities and that better care and euthanasia practices would help resolve the issue of poor and under-funded care of horses. The opponents of the legislation also point out that eliminating the market for horse products and meat will lead to an explosion of horses that require care -- they claim over 80,000 -- and that this would overburden the current capacities to provide adequate and humane care, both in terms of facilities and financial resources, and what cost would be incurred because of this overburden? Would taxpayers have to pay for the increased resources required? The supporters of the legislation believe that there is adequate capacity for the care of unwanted horses and there is enough financial support to absorb those animals into current care facilities. As someone who is from Florida horse country, I can understand the emotion that runs deep with an issue that not only represents our responsibility to care for our animals properly and with humanity but truly captures a culture and way of living that is uniquely American. I am an animal and a horse lover, and like all of us, want to find ways to avoid the "unwanted horse" scenario. That said, I'm not a horse owner, a racing horse breeder, a farmer, or an animal processor so I still am a bit distanced from those perspectives on this issue and understand that this problem means much more to those who work and live in the American horse industry. I do, however, think whatever we propose, we must have a full understanding of the ultimate effects on the American horse population no matter how we proceed because there are arguments presented on both sides seem to paint a pretty bleak picture for a large number of horses and their caregivers in America in the event legislation is or is not passed. Therefore, I believe our focus today should be on discussing the best way to eliminate the "unwanted" horse problem and how to find more humane approaches to that problem, as well as to study the particular issues presented by H.R. 503. I also believe that today presents us with an opportunity to better understand what the bill could mean for the financial obligations involved in caring for additional horses, for closing plants, or for supporting better and more humane ways of euthanizing unwanted and abandoned animals. Again, I want commend all of you before us today for your strong beliefs and passion to do what is right and just -- protecting and treating horses humanely, ensuring we do what's best for them, and for educating the Congress about an issue that means so much to American culture and history. I'd also like to thank, in particular, Chairman Goodlatte and Representative Sweeney for joining us today, as well as the distinguish panel before us. We look forward to you testimony.
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