The Unintended Consequences of a Ban on the Humane Slaughter (Processing) of Horses in the United States

Federal legislation has been proposed to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be humanely slaughtered (processed) for human consumption, and for other purposes. The intent of the legislation is to enact a ban in the United States on processing horses for human consumption. The legislation does not provide fiscal support that would likely be needed to respond to an ever increasing number of unwanted, neglected, and abused horses. Often times horse neglect and abuse cases originate from a lack of economic resources needed to adequately maintain a horse’s health. While everyone fully supports and is committed to the humane treatment of all horses, there are unintended consequences of banning horse processing. The purpose of this paper is to identify and review the unintended consequences of a ban in the United States on the processing of horses for human consumption: 1. The potential for a large number of abandoned or unwanted horses is substantial. 2. Public animal rescue facilities are currently saturated with unwanted horses. No funding has been allocated to manage a large increase in horses that will likely become the responsibility of these facilities. 3. Cost of maintaining unwanted horses accumulates over time: A conservative estimate of the total cost of caring for unwanted horses, based upon 2005 statistics, is $220 million; Cumulative annual maintenance costs of otherwise processed horses, since the year 2000, would have exceeded more than$513 million in 2005. 4. The export value of horse meat for human consumption was approximately $26 million. A ban on processing would eliminate these annual revenues. 5. The option of rendering equine carcasses is decreasing. Private-land burial and disposal in landfills have a negative impact on the environment. 6. The Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program may be negatively impacted by a ban on horse processing. BLM horses and an increasing number of unwanted horses will be competing for adoption homes. Horse processing facilities offer a humane end-of-life option for approximately 1% of the United States horse population. Tens of thousands of horses could be neglected or abandoned if a processing ban were imposed. The direct economic impact and future unintended–and currently unaccounted for–economic impact of banning horse processing for human consumption are substantial. Proponents have not addressed the inevitable costs of such a ban. Horse owners will realize a direct impact from lower horse sale prices. Local and state governments will be adversely impacted by increased costs of regulation and care of unwanted or neglected horses

Engineering and performance standards parameters for long distance road transport in the United States: the special case of horses

The transportation conditions of slaughter horses for human consumption have become a public and regulatory issue in the United States in the last two decades. Federal regulations were developed partially using the results of funded research projects that examined the types of vehicles, characteristics of slaughter horse candidates, types of injuries during transport, duration of transit, stocking densities and other behavioural and physiological indices during long-distance road transport. Additionally, the physiological responses of horses travelling long distances in vans while cross-tied by their halters in individual stalls were also studied. Both engineering- and performance-based standards were developed from the scientific studies and implemented in the federal regulations to ensure the humane movement of equines to slaughter facilities via commercial road transportation

Blood Parameters of Horses Trained on a Treadmill (Diphosphoglycerate, Exercise)

115 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984.Four experiments were conducted to establish the role of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) and other blood parameters in the oxygen pathway of resting and exercising horses throughout a conditioning program.The first study examined the utilization of a treadmill to simulate racing or training workloads on heart rates and lactate levels in horses. A standardized protocol was used whereby the horse walked for three minutes, then trotted progressively faster at one minute intervals until the maximum speed (5.3 meters per second), was reached. Results showed that heart rate and lactate levels similar to those of traditional conditioning routines can be produced by increasing the speed and inclination of the treadmill's belt.The second study was conducted to determine if resting 2,3-DPG levels and other related blood parameters change with submaximal conditioning routines, while in the third study a more rigorous routine was used. Blood samples were taken weekly from an exercised treatment group and a control group. The exercised group was conditioned on the treadmill three times per week for six weeks. Resting values for 2,3-DPG, red blood cell counts and hemoglobin levels did not differ (P < .05) between groups in either study. The date of sampling had a much more profound effect on the measurement of the resting parameters than did the conditioning program.The final study examined 2,3-DPG levels during a single exercised bout in horses; along with comparing 2,3-DPG levels during exercise in the conditioned and unconditioned horse. Blood samples and heart rates were taken during a standard exercise test prior to and at the conclusion of a five week exercise program. Results showed an increase (P < .05) in heart rate, 2,3-DPG, lactic acid, hemoglobin levels and red blood cell counts at the trot as compared to resting levels in both conditioned and unconditioned horses. No difference (P < .05) in heart rate at the trot in either the pre or post exercise test was observed. A conditioning effect (P < .05) on 2,3-DPG levels was shown at the trot. Lactic acid levels after conditioning showed a decrease (P < .05) at the trot and during recovery. The best indicator of fitness was determined to be lactic acid levels at the trot.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Beef Care Practices

A thorough introduction to the issues and decisions facing a beef cattle producer in California

Beef Care Practices

A thorough introduction to the issues and decisions facing a beef cattle producer in California

Immunosuppressants

Immunosuppressive agents have a well-established role in the treatment of pruritus. However, a shift within this realm of antipruritic therapy is underway. While agents that reduce itch secondary to generalized immunosuppression have well-documented antipruritic effects, novel biologic agents are emerging with the ability to target itch-inducing immunologic cascades in a more specific manner. In addition, janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors and phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) antagonists are also demonstrating antipruritic capabilities. The arrival of these agents is expected to usher in a new era of immunomodulatory antipruritic therapy

Chronic pruritus in the elderly: pathophysiology, diagnosis and management

Chronic itch in the elderly is a common problem, with a significant impact on quality of life and sleep in elderly patients. Chronic itch may be attributable to several causes, including dry skin, immunosenescence and neural degeneration. Itch may also be caused by skin diseases, such as seborrhoeic dermatitis and stasis dermatitis; systemic conditions, such as end-stage renal disease and diabetes; and psychogenic conditions, such as depression and anxiety. The use of polypharmacy may also cause itch, with or without a rash. Specifically, thiazides and calcium channel blockers have been known to cause itch in elderly patients. Management should be tailored according to the underlying dermatological or systemic aetiology of itch. Topical treatment is the mainstay of therapy, providing special emphasis on skin hydration and barrier repair. In addition, topical and oral medications that target the nervous system and reduce neuronal hypersensitization, such as gabapentin and selective antidepressants, have a role in treating patients with severe chronic itch. Furthermore, management must account for changes in metabolism and pharmacokinetics of drugs in the aging population in order to prevent the occurrence of adverse effects

Psychiatric disorders and pruritus

The skin and psyche are intimately related with various skin diseases caused by or resulting in psychiatric disturbances. Pruritus is a commonly reported symptom in psychiatric patients, and likewise psychiatric co-morbidities, including anxiety and depression, are frequently seen in chronic pruritus patients. Primary psychodermatologic conditions, such as somatic symptom disorder, dermatitis artefacta, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (excoriation disorder and prurigo nodularis), delusional infestation, and substance use disorder, can all induce significant pruritus in patients, severely affecting their quality of life. Such entities can be challenging to manage, and therefore a greater understanding of the underlying psychopathology and evaluation of associated psychosocial factors is necessary. In addition to proper skin hygiene and first-line pharmacotherapies such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, noradrenergic and selective serotonin antidepressants, antiepileptics, and antipsychotics (for delusional and psychotic disorders), patients with psychopruritic disorders should be offered psychotherapy to maximize the therapeutic efficacy