Was Gov. Martinez For Horse Slaughter Before She Was Against It, Or Vice Versa?
New Mexico Governor and Presidential hopeful, Susanna Martinez, has previously forcefully and eloquently stated that she is against horse slaughter. (See her letter to the USDA after the jump at bottom)
Oh Susanna, Don't You Kill For Me
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However, instead of working legislatively to block horse slaughter, her party has sponsored 2 pro-slaughter pieces of legislation for a Feasibility Study for a Slaughter House in New Mexico. HB90 and HJM16. Both of which were unsupported by New Mexicans and have failed. HJM16 died on the House Floor and without additional support HB90 has been halted.
Governor Martinez could LEAD on this issue. She could write an executive order banning Horse slaughter in New Mexico and calling on all other Governors to do the same. So far, instead she has looked the other way while her administration has beat the drum for slaughter for two years in the media, and at the state legislature.
The New Mexico Livestock Board and New Mexico Department of Agriculture have beat the FALSE Drums for horse slaughter even to the point of despicably Slandering New Mexico’s First Americans, repeatedly.
In doing so, they have consciously hid a key fact from the American Public.....
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New Mexico's Best Kept Secret:
Nineteen Thousand Two Hundred Three
The Number of Horses Rejected at the Mexican Border in 11 months in 2011
(1,522 breaches against the zoosanitairy requirements and 232 cases of the presence of live ticks were identified)
Per The European Commission (Health and Consumers Directorate-General) (2011-8906) in 2011. These numbers and this report proves undeniably that
a Slaughter plant is unequaled in causing Abandoned Horses and Animal Welfare issues. Where does one drop, or abandon, sick or pregnant horses rejected from slaughter?
So far, Governor Martinez' Administration has misused these numbers out-of-context, only to beat the drum FOR slaughter, while implying these numbers result from the action of Native Americans, and abusive or economically pressed New Mexicans. This, all while avoiding the FACT that the recent GAO Report to Congress recommended to "consider a permanent ban on horse slaughter".
Call for an Executive Order Banning Horse Slaughter in NM
As 80% of Americans are opposed to Horse Slaughter for human consumption as shown by the
Lake Research Poll, it is time that all Governors BAN Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption by Executive Order, starting with Governor Susanna Martinez. With an imminent start-up of a horse slaughter plant in New Mexico, it is incumbent upon Governor Martinez to
lead here and to call on all Governors to ban horse slaughter by Executive Order.
Governor Martinez has not previously been shy about using her Executive Powers, especially when it comes to aiding the oil and gas industry. Hopefully she will use her perogative to ban horse slaughter in New Mexico.
New Mexico Economic Development
These are New Mexico’s THIRD WORLD ideas of a jobs program under Governor Susanna Martinez:
- Coyote Kill Contest for Tourism
- Leg traps for Hunting Tourism
- Wolf Killing for special interests
- Cougar Killing quotas increased irresponsibly for special interests
- Bear Killing quotas increased irresponsibly
- And Now Comes Horse Slaughter for Foreign Markets!!!
Neglect of the Welfare of Horses
And yet when it comes to Wild Horse Ecotourism, New Mexico refuses to advertise them:
- Wild Horse Reserves in New Mexico
- Jicarilla Wild Horse Territory in the beautiful Carson National Forest
- Jarita Mesa Wild Horse Territory also in the Carson National Forest
- Soccorro Wild Horse Management Area
Governor Martinez' administration has a recent history of attempting to ban and over-regulate small businesses which are wild horse preserves, which is in contrast to her Executive Order (Saturday, January 1, 2011 Executive Order 2011-001) for the Formation of a small business-friendly task force; establishing a 90-day review period for all proposed and pending regulations.
This is also in contrast to the lack of regulation over livestock auction houses in New Mexico, which have been been exposed for their alleged treatment of horses. In fact, New Mexico seemingly does nothing regarding deplorable conditions at Auction Houses except adopt/enact Agricultural Gag Laws to punish those that investigate and expose abuses:
Animal Enterprise Protection 21.35.6.1 - Adopted Nov 6th 2012
An animal enterprise law aimed at blocking investigatory whistleblowers
Here is the letter Governor Martinez previously sent to the USDA in oppostion to the application for the opening of a Horse Slaughter plant in New Mexico, as well as stating a more general oppostion to horse slaughter. Here's to hoping Governor Martinez will change her Administration's current course and instead act to support her sentiments stated in this letter.