A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Supporting the reintroduction of horse slaughter and processing operations in the United States.

    WHEREAS, in recent years, the slaughter and processing of horses has become a controversial and emotional issue which has resulted in the closing of the last horse processing and slaughter facility in the United States; and

    WHEREAS, thousands of unwanted horses annually are exposed to abandonment and neglect because of the cessation of horse slaughter in the United States. The nation's inadequate and overburdened horse rescue and adoption facilities cannot begin to handle the influx of additional unwanted and abandoned horses each year that result from the cessation of equine slaughter, processing, and transport activity. In addition, the current economic downturn has added significantly to the problem of abandoned and neglected horses; and

    WHEREAS, the South Dakota Legislature in 2009 overwhelmingly adopted SCR 2, Urging the Reinstatement and Funding of a Federal Inspection Program Governing Horse Slaughter and Euthanasia Facilities, and SCR 10, Supporting Legislative Efforts in Other States Addressing the Need to Provide for Equine Slaughter and Processing in the United States; and

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    WHEREAS, in 2009 a number of states, including Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming, introduced a variety of bills and resolutions opposing efforts to restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses; recognizing the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States; and supporting state efforts to establish facilities in the United States; and

    WHEREAS, in 2008 and 2009, such diverse organizations as the Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Congress of American Indians adopted resolutions and policy in support of horse processing and related activities in the United States; and

    WHEREAS, there is a critical need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States to reduce the suffering inflicted on unwanted and abandoned horses and to meet overseas export markets for horsemeat in a humane manner:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Eighty-fifth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the Senate concurring therein, that the South Dakota Legislature urges the Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture to reinstate and fully fund USDA's inspection program for horse euthanasia and horse slaughter facilities and to enact legislation to facilitate the resumption of equine processing and slaughter in the United States.