DeLauro: Reinstate horse slaughter ban
July 01, 2013 | 07:03 PM
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., a former House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee chairman and a member of that subcommittee, said last week that the Agriculture Department’s announcement that it is in the process of authorizing federal inspections of a horse slaughter facility in New Mexico proves that Congress should reinstate that ban.
“Congress should promptly reinstate the provision that prohibited spending federal dollars to inspect horse slaughter facilities and I am encouraged my colleagues have taken steps to do so,” DeLauro said in a news release Friday. “I will continue my work to prevent horse slaughter in the pending agriculture appropriations bill.”
Congress had imposed a ban on federal inspection of horse meat for human consumption, but did not renew the ban in 2011.
The fiscal year 2014 Agriculture appropriations bill includes a ban on inspections that DeLauro backed.
The Obama administration’s proposed budget asks Congress to reinstate that provision, but an Agriculture Department spokeswoman has said that unless Congress reimposes the ban, the agency has no choice but to begin inspections.
“Congress should promptly reinstate the provision that prohibited spending federal dollars to inspect horse slaughter facilities and I am encouraged my colleagues have taken steps to do so,” DeLauro said in a news release Friday. “I will continue my work to prevent horse slaughter in the pending agriculture appropriations bill.”
Congress had imposed a ban on federal inspection of horse meat for human consumption, but did not renew the ban in 2011.
The fiscal year 2014 Agriculture appropriations bill includes a ban on inspections that DeLauro backed.
The Obama administration’s proposed budget asks Congress to reinstate that provision, but an Agriculture Department spokeswoman has said that unless Congress reimposes the ban, the agency has no choice but to begin inspections.
