Phil Brown’s suggestion that U.S. government regulation can effectively mitigate the suffering of horses in horse slaughter plants is wishful thinking at best. History demonstrates that horse slaughter is a cruel, predatory, and unnecessary practice.

Brown may be surprised to learn that supervision by the U.S. government does not guarantee humane conditions. Prior to the closure of the last domestic slaughterhouse in 2007, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors reported rampant violations and cruelty, as detailed in government documents. Horses’ instinctual flight response makes them uniquely ill-suited for stunning, and evidence confirms that they often endure repeated blows and sometimes remain conscious during their dismemberment.

The myth that only neglected, old or injured horses are sent to slaughter collapses in the face of the USDA’s finding that more than 92 percent of American horses sent to slaughter are in good condition. These healthy horses suffer not only on the killing floor, but on the cross-country journey to their gruesome deaths. Long distance transport and intense suffering are an inherent element of this low-demand, foreign-driven industry.

Additionally, Brown ignores the serious threat that American horse meat poses to consumers. Horses raised in the United States are routinely administered drugs known to be toxic to humans. The Food and Drug Administration has a lifetime ban on the use of these drugs in animals intended for human consumption. Because horses are not raised for food in the United States, they are not monitored for food safety concerns. It is therefore impossible to guarantee that American horses are free of these toxic substances.

A recent national poll revealed that 80 percent of American voters oppose the slaughtering of American horses for human consumption. Passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act is long overdue.