Advocates question GAO report on horse slaughter
American Equus caballus advocates choose called into inquiry the reliability of a study past times the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which it said helped opened upward the way for the resumption of Equus caballus slaughter on United States soil.
The Equine Welfare Alliance as well as the Animal Law Coalition allege figures inward the report, entitled “Horse Welfare: Action needed to address unintended consequences from cessation of domestic slaughter”, were presented inward a misleading way.
In doing so, the GAO misrepresented Equus caballus abuse as well as neglect, the groups allege.
The study blamed falling Equus caballus prices as well as increased abuse as well as neglect on the closing of domestic slaughter plants inward 2007.
The groups noted that presently later the GAO issued its report, a conference commission reinstated funding for Equus caballus slaughter inspections, opening the way for slaughter to provide to the US.
They said the study was widely quoted inward the media as well as was also used every bit evidence inward the trial filed past times Valley Meat Company inward New United Mexican States against the United States Department of Agriculture inward its bid to larn federal flora inspections approved for its Equus caballus slaughter-house inward New Mexico.
The alliance, an umbrella grouping for to a greater extent than than 300 fellow member organisations as well as to a greater extent than than yard individuals, said its ain inquiry indicated neglect levels were tied to hay prices, which had soared inward a drought inward 2007 as well as 2008.
Hay prices had also risen, it said, every bit a resultant of altering ground exercise from 2005, amongst to a greater extent than corn planted instead of alfafa as well as pasture to see the needs of the growing ethanol industry.
Alliance president John Kingdom of the Netherlands said his organisation discovered issues amongst the information inward relation to Equus caballus abuse inward Colorado piece conducting its ain research.
“We were looking for the correlation betwixt diverse factors such every bit unemployment, slaughter as well as hay prices on a province past times province basis,” Kingdom of the Netherlands said, “and when nosotros looked at the Colorado data, nosotros were reminded of its advert inward the GAO report.”
The alliance challenged the study on several levels, maxim it was peppered amongst the opinions of anonymous veterinarians.
However, it was the information inward relation to Colorado – which the alliance says was the alone equine welfare statistic inward the entire study – that caused it the greatest concern.
The GAO claimed inward the study to choose contacted province veterinarians across the province as well as to choose been told that abuse as well as neglect was increasing everywhere inward the wake of the closing of the United States plants inward 2007.
The alliance checked as well as constitute information was available from half dozen states – Oregon, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Georgia as well as Colorado.
The information showed that abuse as well as neglect had been inward decline betwixt 2008 as well as 2010 (the concluding twelvemonth of the GAO study), as well as that the way had used dates inward the Colorado information that made it appear abuse had increased sixty percent.
The GAO had used information from 2005 – 2 years earlier the domestic plants closed – until 2009.
The alliance queried why the GAO had failed to exercise the information that would choose been available for 2010 inward Colorado, which showed a decline.
It questioned also why it would exercise information starting 2 years earlier the halt of domestic slaughter.
“Not alone did the GAO misrepresent the data, they completely missed the importance of hay prices as well as availability,” Kingdom of the Netherlands said.
The alliance filed a Freedom of Information Act asking for the information used past times the GAO. It was denied. The alliance also took purpose inward a conference telephone hollo upward inward a bid to larn the GAO to take away the report.
“The GAO refused whatever reply except to enjoin that their reports were flawlessly cross checked,” Kingdom of the Netherlands said.
He said the study had been the primary claim to legitimacy amidst those who wished to choose Equus caballus slaughter dorsum to the US.
“It has been quoted past times the national press, as well as referenced inward nearly every political debate on the issue. It was fifty-fifty cited every bit evidence inward Valley Meats vs. the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as countless other documents.”
He condemned the study every bit existence devoid of supporting information as well as containing “hocus-pocus analysis stuck together amongst the unsubstantiated opinions of anonymous ‘officials’.”
He noted that the 3 lawmakers who successful voted to ultimately strip the defunding linguistic communication from an agriculture bill, effectively opening the way to the resumption of slaughter on United States soil, were Senators Herb Kohl as well as Roy Blunt, as well as Representative Jack Kingston.
These were the same individuals who had requested the GAO report, he noted.
Holland said the GAO 1 time had an an exemplary reputation for finding as well as analyzing information that could assist Congress inward its decisions. That reputation was no longer deserved, he argued.
The GAO acknowledged that the number of horses slaughtered did non diminish next the domestic ban, but that their slaughter only shifted to Canada as well as Mexico.
“At this dot the study could choose concluded, maxim that amongst no alter inward slaughter, at that spot could choose been no touching on … Yet the study goes on to brand the instance that at that spot was a negative impact,” Kingdom of the Netherlands said.
Probing the Colorado figures, Kingdom of the Netherlands said the “deceit” was contained inward the judgement which states:
“… Colorado information showed that investigations for Equus caballus neglect as well as abuse increased to a greater extent than than sixty percentage from 975 inward 2005 to 1588 inward 2009.”
“The illustration of Colorado is supposed to demonstrate the touching on of the closings, but the plants closed inward 2007, non 2005, as well as the GAO had access to information through 2010.
“By fudging the dates, the GAO blamed 2 years of increasing abuse on something that had non fifty-fifty happened withal as well as conveniently got rid of 1 twelvemonth of declining abuse past times omitting 2010.
“By using alone 2 information points, the GAO made it audio similar abuse as well as neglect had continued to increment later the closings as well as hid what was actually happening inward Colorado as well as many other states. Abuse as well as neglect had been increasing betwixt 2005 as well as 2008, when it peaked as well as began a decline.”
Holland said the alliance’s ain inquiries uncovered information on abuse inward 5 other states, all of it disagreeing amongst the GAO claim that “state, local authorities as well as brute welfare organizations study a ascension inward investigations for Equus caballus neglect…”
He said the study quoted anonymous “officials” 86 times as well as anonymous veterinarians 33 times, as well as non 1 advert was made of the cost or availability of hay, which the alliance said its ain inquiry had shown to hold upward a major constituent inward levels of equine neglect.
“Drought as well as ‘the cost of feeding’ are mentioned alone 1 time inward passing,” Kingdom of the Netherlands said, “and yet, the difficult information was over again ignored inward favor of relying on anonymous – as well as easily manipulated – opinions.”
The peak inward abuse inward nearly every province occurred inward 2008, when the cost of hay, alfalfa, as well as gasoline all peaked that same year.
“Again, the GAO completely missed these factors or decided to ignore them inward favor of their theory that the longer trips for Equus caballus kill buyers were the crusade of lower Equus caballus prices.”
The obvious ground for lower Equus caballus prices was that recreational Equus caballus owners had dropped out of the bidding because of the huge escalation inward the cost of Equus caballus ownership, he said.
“This was also the ground Equus caballus neglect spiked inward 2008 every bit proven past times our correlation study,” Kingdom of the Netherlands said.
Holland noted a resurgence of abuse as well as neglect inward Colorado later the decline of 2010, but noted over again that this coincided amongst drought weather inward the province from 2010 to 2012.
“Hay prices soared, pastures turned to dust as well as abuse as well as neglect skyrocketed,” he said.
“The Colorado information 1 time over again shows that the GAO missed the linkage betwixt neglect as well as the cost as well as availability of hay, as well as instead presented a ridiculous instance for abuse existence caused past times longer trips for the kill buyers.”
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