DENVER (KDVR) — Senate Bill 23-038, also known as the Prohibit Equine Slaughter For Human Consumption, went through the Senate agricultural committee Thursday, passing in a four-to-three vote.
“We want to make sure horses that are no longer able to be ridden or whatever they are used for, we want to make sure they are taken care of for the longevity of their lives,” Lorena Garcia, a House representative sponsoring the bill, said.
The bill has changed after negotiations.
Garcia said the bill’s focus was changed to focus on the transportation of American horses to Canada and Mexico, to make it more humane.
“Kill buyers will pack like 20 horses into a massive truck,” Garcia said. “The horses will start to fight each other, necks can be broken and all kinds of damage on the body of the horse can occur.”
Senators Bob Gardner, Rod Pelton and Cleave Simpson voted no on the bill. FOX31 reached out to hear why and had not heard back as of Saturday night.
According to Garcia, the bill will now go through seconds and thirds.
“There are just enough votes to get us through the Senate and I think we will be fine in the house,” Garcia said.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Food and Drug Administration considers horses as companion animals and not food-producing animals.
The AVMA also stated that, as of 2007, the three remaining horse slaughter plants in the United States were shut down.
The AVMA also had data on how many American horses annually are sent to slaughter in Mexico and Canada.
FOX31 also reached out to the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, which also spoke out against the bill, and had not heard back as of Saturday night.