After a five-year ban on congressional funding to inspect horse slaughterhouses was lifted in November last year, Congressman Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia, spearheaded an amendment to eliminate that funding once again. The amendment was passed by the House Appropriations Committee today.

The bill will now move to the floor for a vote by the entire House, according to a press release on Rep. Moran’s Web site. He’s known as an advocate for animal protection in Congress.

“When more than 80 percent of the American population opposes this practice, it is high time we put an end, once and for all, to industrial horse slaughter,” said Rep. Moran. “Horses hold an important place in our nation’s history and culture, treasured by all for their beauty and majesty. They deserve to be cared for, not killed for foreign consumption.”

If the USDA group that inspects slaughterhouses isn’t funded, inspections can’t happen, and the meat cannot be sold to humans for consumption.

The Humane Society applauded Rep. Moran’s actions in a statement:

“Adding millions of dollars to the federal budget to inspect foreign-owned horse slaughter plants would be a step backwards for America’s iconic horses and a waste of tax dollars,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “We are grateful to Congressman Jim Moran for leading the charge to restore this critical horse protection provision, and to the House Appropriations Committee for reining in this multi-million-dollar subsidy that could pave the way for the needless killing of American horses for foreign gourmands.”

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