~Arabian Horsey Gal 1123 (208201)~
Fact: Horse slaughter is a virtual secret industry.
Fact: Widespread use of pharmaceuticals and aminogycoside antibiotics "not prescribed for food animals" renders American horsemeat potentially dangerous to human health.
Fact: Horses are not feeding the starving masses, rather a $15 a pound delicacy for foreign gourmands.
Fact: Horses are taxed differently than food-source animals.
Fact: Dogs and cats are protected against slaughter and export to countries where their meat is eaten.
Fact: Horse meat eating is discouraged by Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist & Hindu religions.
Fact: According to a national poll, 93% of Americans want horse slaughter stopped.
Fact: In 2001 alone, more than 55,000 horses were killed in the United States and processed for human consumption.
Fact: Under federal law, horses are required to be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually with a device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal rod into the horse's brain.
Fact: If that "machinery" (above)is not working properly, horses can be conscious while their throats are being slit.
Fact: According to the US Department of Agriculture, 42,312 horses were slaughtered in 2002.
Fact: The drug Premarin is a drug with a main ingredient of Mare's urine and is a female hormone replacement.
Fact: Over 10,000 horses are stolen every year for the horsemeat trade due to a drug called Premarin.