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Press Release
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New Holland- On July 6, 1998 the PA State Police were at the New Holland Sales Stables in New Holland, PA responding to complaints regarding the trucks and trailers that transport the horses and the conditions of the horses at the auction. The State Police had officers inside the auction from early morning until late afternoon.
One shipper was cited for not having Coggins Tests, as required by PA law, for 12 of the 14 horses that he had shipped in from Kentucky.
The State Police stated that more enforcement efforts are possible.
On July 13, 1998, the PA Department of Revenue was on the street outside the horse auction and the hay auction checking the diesel fuel that was being used. There is a difference in the tax on fuel used in farm vehicles on the farm and that of fuel used by vehicles driven over the road.
The weekly sale averages 250 horses per week. Trailers in the parking lot have license plates from as far away as Maine, Florida and Iowa. Horses sold for slaughter at the auction are transported to Texas and Canada, distances of 1500 and 550 miles respectively.
In the horse industry, New Holland is known as the largest weekly sale of "killer horses" east of the Mississippi. The horses are slaughtered for human consumption overseas in Europe and Japan. Horses purchased for slaughter are often transported in trailers designed to transport cattle and hogs and which do not meet equine industry standards for vehicles used to transport horses. This, in conjunction with overcrowding and a lack of segregation often cause injury and even death to the horses being transported. The lack of food, water and rest contribute to the arduous journey making it especially inhumane for blind, sick, injured, and/or the very young or the very old.
Recently the PA House Judiciary Committee held hearings on HB 2127 introduced by Rep. Jim Lynch (R) Warren County on June 25, 1998 in Gettysburg, PA. The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote the bill out of Committee with the amendments that the Equine Placement Network is calling for before they can fully support the bill. Due to the lack of legislative days left this session, the bill will be reintroduced in the next session.
Being that enforcement of this legislation is best accomplished at the point of loading, it is imperative that Pennsylvania enact legislation that will ensure that all horses, no matter what their final destination, are transported using vehicles and methods that meet equine industry standards. Blind, sick, and injured horses should not be forced to endure more suffering so their owner can put a few dollars in their pocket. Irresponsible breeders should not profit from their lack of responsibility by sending a pregnant mare, or foal to slaughter.
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