Presidio Federal Vet Wants No More Calls Complaining About Horses
By Steven Long
Photo Courtesy Ray Field
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – A federal veterinarian charged with overseeing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service animal inspections in Presidio, Texas told Horseback Online Thursday he was tired of getting calls from citizens irate about the abuse of horses brought to the C-4 slaughter holding pens.
“I’ve had these middle aged women calling me and complaining about what’s going on here and I’m tired of it,” he said.
“I don’t have anything to do with those horses.”
Dr. William Brown said that he has never held a Coggins certificate from horses at the facility in his hands.
Moreover, he says he was under orders to ignore the place.
Late last year Horseback learned from Texas Animal Health Commission inspector Richard Wagner the same Coggins documents were being used again and again for different horses going to slaughter and held at the pens. The TAHC official said nothing at his level was being done because his agency’s budget had been cut by the Texas Legislature and simply didn’t have the manpower to take action.
However, TAHC routinely inspects stables around the state for strict inspections of Coggins documents.
The Coggins certificate is a federal document, and it is a federal offense to falsify the form. Violations could result in a fine of $10,000 and imprisonment of 5 years or both.
“My boss in Austin told me not to go anywhere near those horses,” a clearly irate Brown said.
The pens are a way station where horses are held awaiting transport across the border to a Mexican slaughter facility.
“They can call my boss in Austin if they want to complain,” he said.
Asked by Horseback who his boss is, Brown readily gave the name of Dr.
Jim Amend of APHIS.
“They can just get him on the phone if they want to complain,” he said. Almost certainly, irate horse lovers will do just that.
But getting Amend on the phone is not so easy. Horseback called not only Amend, but also his superior, Neither have returned our calls more than 24 hours after the initial contact.
Brown says he doesn’t do inspections on the slaughter bound horses because the feds aren’t funding him to do the inspections.
“They removed the funds to pay me,” he said. “They are paying a private veterinarian.”
Brown said the private vet provides him with a certificate that he routinely signs, preferring to personally inspect incoming horses and cattle from Mexico, rather than outgoing horses destined for slaughter across the border. Late last year, more than 60 horses were seized from the C-4 pens in various stages of starvation, dehydration, and illness. Several died, and a dump ing ground of horse carcasses was discovered
in a flash flood prone creek that runs behind the pens and empties into the Rio Grande River.
Despite the risk of spreading infectious disease, the pen owner of the C-4 pens was chided by the state agency and given a slap on the wrist by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Horse owners are required to have Coggins certificates indicating the animal has passed a test showing it is free of equine infectious anemia, (EIA).
Brown told Horseback, “I know of a guy who works for the state who told me they were surprised when he actually wanted to go out and look at those horses, they don’t want you to look at those horses,” he said.
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Presidio: A shining example for everything wrong with horse slaughter.
ummm Mr. Brown – so where are all the men who should care about the treatment of animals? Don’t you have to take some sort of oath to be a vet? Isn’t it sad that it always seems to be women who have to clean up the messes made by men?
ummm – so true…It IS sad that it does seem always to be that women have to clean up the messes made by men…I KNOW there are good men out there, but there are soo many who get choked by the process of the law and unable to stand up, take responsibility and ACT like a real man…when you are in need, I hope you, Mr. Brown, don’t get turned away with “it’s not my problem”…
This seems to be abuse. Not a coggins issue. The humane society needs to get in on this . one However going to Mexico is not a good outcome and should be banned as well. This is our Planet. In 2012 . Disgusting.
Well, this middle-aged woman is pissed on so many levels…the very nerve of this man. One thing is quite clear…this man can not and will not think for himself…playing the blame game….he should lose his job.
Ok, so we middle-aged women will call his boss, but be aware, as long as you hold the title of Federal Vet, you will be answerable to us middle-aged women. Someone needs to tell your Mother on you….I am sure she would not support your behavior…after all she was or is a middle-aged woman too….
Now on to the real issue….I am sick to my heart at the treatment these horses are exposed to. I do not consider myself a bleeding heart, but I do have a strong sense of right and wrong and this is so very wrong. When God made first man, besides not to eat of the forbidden fruit, which he did of his own free will, he was told to name all the animals and tend the garden…I am quite sure this was not the tending He was expecting. There will be a day of reakoning for all the bad behavior. Each man and woman, even the middle-aged ones, will answer to all that they did in their life on earth. When you mistreat the least of God’s creatures it is as though you have done it to God. That is a scary position to be in….
What does prostitution, gambling and horse slaughter have in common? Brings the dregs of society running and guaranteed to keep law enforcements head deeply buried in the sand.
Dr.Brown tired of getting calls from middle aged ladies (how condescending is that? how about concerned taxpayers?) How about you stepped up to the plate when this first occurred and spoke out knowing what conditions must be? But no that paycheck fit so neatly into his wallet it just didn’t matter how much blood the had to wash off it before cashing it.
Well said, Morgan.
yes very well said Morgan! If your in a position to do a job then DO YOUR JOB! Middle aged women? please, children, adults anyone and most everyone is concerned!
Get off your high horse and do what your suppose to or get the heck out and let someone who can do it! You must not be concerned about much else but the money lining your pockets. This is the kind of thing that makes the horse industry what it is now…non caring,highfalutin idiots with no morals or concerns other then themselves just resting on a seat of importance and twiddling their thumbs doing nothing more then lip service.
Yes, well said.
I would say this is a man who hates his job. I think his boss should do him the favor of firing him–don’t you all agree?
It would be a kindness. No more having to deal with “irate middle aged women”.
Totally agree. I believe that we should leave a thousand messages on the bosses phones.. and add anyone else in those bureaucratic organizations that you can find.. Fire the JERK. he should be happy as he was certainly concerned the “they weren’t paying him anymore.” I don’t think he was doing more…just collecting more.
Exactly, Morgan. And Sue Wallis and her cronies brag about how tightly regulated American slaughter plants and transport were and will be again. Yeah, they WILL be regulated just like they were before. That’s the problem!
I wonder – where are the pro-slaughter folks in this? Seems they should also be raising a ruckus, as they, too, at least claim to be against the starvation of horses !!
Superb point, Beth…I was thinking the same thing. Where are the killers and supporters of human consumption horse slaughter of US equines? Where are the decent, law abiding, integrity laden meat producers of cattle, poultry, beef, swine and lamb in this country that do the right thing every day? Where is their outrage at this behavior?
I will post at the end of this thread to remind the skippers.
Hitting the nail on the head, Morgan, as Elaine Nash comment – well said !!
C-4 Cattle Company in Presidio TX is the embodiment of everything disgusting and evil with the horse slaughter industry. I like the way Brown says a bunch of middle age women…did he poll each person who called him for their age? Perhaps is he spent the same effort on inspecting the horses and their paperwork as he does attempting to discern the age of the person on the other end of the phone these problems might be corrected.
Most of the horses received at the pens in Presidio have been on the truck for 2 to 4 days without food or water. Since we outlawed slaughter in the US this has become a big problem. Many people are unable to care for their horses so they sell them to horse buyers that send them to Mexico for slaughter. Many for these buyers are just in it for the money. When the horses arrive in Presidio that have fresh water and are fed. The condition of the horses when they get off the truck ranges from bad to good. I am sure many of these horses were in very poor condition when they were bought. I for one don’t know how the buyer takes care of them before they are shipped nor do I know how long they are in his pens. Does the buyer provide the horses with food and water? How long do they stay in his pens before they have a truck load? It seems to me we need to be looking at the total chain of possession of these animal not just at the ending point. Just saying.
Editor’s note: Equine slaughter for export has only been outlawed in Texas, Illinois, and California. The United States Supreme Court has upheld those laws. However a slaughterhouse could open tomorrow in the other states such facilities could secure federal inspectors. What shut down the industry was the federal ban on inspectors in such facilities. That ban was removed late last year by Congress in an 11th hour move by House/Senate conferees on a spending bill. The House had left the ban in place, but the Senate had not. Three members removed the ban. There are now efforts in Congress to secure funding for inspections. There is also an effort to allow the slaughter industry to pay for inspectors. The Supreme Court has already struck that down, yet some continue to perpetuate the myth that it can happen.
The Editor
WTF is the matter with Dr. Brown and the state of Texas? This is not a game. That man should be removed from his job. I am sure there are plenty of middle aged women who are also MDs and who could (and would) do a far better job of it – than him. He is an insult. Throw him in the Rio Grande.
AMEN!!!!!!! I watch the news everyday & am tired of hearing about sports coverage, governmental issues, things about other countries… Why does this not get national attention across this country of OURS! Why do these animals that are the final piece of our country’s history not get the much deserved attention for all to see & fight for. A human such as Mr.Brown should be dealt with by the public just like these horses & their humane care should be as well. He is an insult……….
Sounds as though it was “middle aged men” that gave him the shaft and left him hanging.
I agree, Louie. So some more middle aged women add their voices to the others. Vet Brown, you need to take a walk. This place should be shut down if we cannot get the inspection or the Coggins violations charged and fined.
Middle aged women? Really? That’s a huge voting demographic, which controls a lot of wealth and political power in this country.
These desk jockeys need to get out into the field and do their jobs. It might even give them a chance to dust the powdered sugar off their laps.
Excellent point, which he should remember next go round! He is trying to discredit all of us. What about the younger ones fighting this slaughter? And all of them men who fight! Middle aged women? Tells you where his mind is. He would give ear to young and sexy? Worthless, he should be removed!
Hey Dr.(and I use that term grudgingly)Brown, I’M tired of hearing middle-aged men (like you) whining and complaining about their jobs! Why don’t you just do yours? Then we middle-aged women can stop calling you and move on to some other male idiot that doesn’t do (or know) what he’s supposed to do!
What are the phone numbers so this oldER woman can call ?
Wayto go Morgan!!! As a middle aged woman who is against horse slaughter, I resent the fact that he Complains about USA citizens complaining about this issue, ESP targeting the group I am in. What the F does that got tho do with anything . Put your big boy pants on Dr. B and take those Rose tinted ( tinted with the blood of horses) and come back into the ugly real world of horse slaughter. I picture Texans as big red meat eaters , ESP since raising cattle is huge there… Maybe that has desensitized them to this issue!!!
Maybe if middle aged women were in charge there wouldn’t be all this mess to be cleaned up caused by middle aged men. Get some balls and get the job done right. You are supposed to be a professional so act like one! People who hide what is going on are just as guilty as the ones doing the crime.
Dr. Brown…while you are tired of ‘middle aged women’ calling you….we are tired of people in the position of HELPING animals, turning a blind eye to the abuse and cruelty inflicted on these animals in Presidio, Tx. It’s pretty obvious you only hold the position you do, for a paycheck, and hold no moral value to the position. You feel no sense of obligation or moral responsibility to get involved, to help those animals, regardless of what your ‘employer’ tells you. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. You obviously don’t care about what’s right. You obviously don’t care about animals suffering. You obviously don’t care about much of anything, except getting that paycheck each week. You can best believe that the phone calls will continue as long as the cruelty continues. Want to end the phone calls? Then, do something to end the cruelty!!!
I think the SOB really opened a can of worms. Lol… go get him Horseback and those of us who do abide by the laws. That place and every politician and government agency involved need to be closed down.maybe the Europeans and Asians need to get wind of this so the PEOPLE over there will know what’s going on..the EU certainly isn’t doing their job and people are dying. Shut em down. Ban horse slaughter in its entirety. That’s the ONLY answer.
I absolutely love you Steven Long.. Go get them.
If there is no accountability assigned in this situation, and no responsibility taken by Dr. Brown, Richard Wagner, and their supervisors, and APHIS, there will be no justice for the horses, and Americans who are concerned. This is horse stealing, but it is even worse. Out on the frontier, these people would get Frontier Justice. But we are far from the frontier. That’s why a major push to have this exposed IN THE PRESS and IN THE COURTS is essential right now. Sue the H-ll out of these people. This should be a CONCERTED EFFORT by the Equine Welfare COmmunity.
Everyone of these officials involved need to be thoroughly investigated and then fired and prosecuted. It is clear to me that they are all being paid off to look the other way and are using old coggins over and over. This is the most disgusting place and a shame on our United States that it exits and that the horrors there continue.
Go get em! I wish I were an investigative reporter. This place would be my life work for sure!
Middle aged and worked hard to get there and along with the middle age comes wisdom and still would have felt this way if I were 17 and not 57, so Dr. Brown before you open your mouth, you should be concerned just as we are about these horses that are in the most horrific conditions. A Vet? I thought that Vets became vet’s because they loved animals. What you should have said is you are equally upset with what has and is still going on and relied here that you understand how upset and disgusted everyone is and that your are also????
What ever happened to The Veterinarian Oath?: Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.
I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.
Mr Brown (Dr Death) find another profession if you can get so angry about an issue that should concern you. Angry about phone calls, well I hope you get more now. Do your damn job! Texas, you need to clean up this horrible situation but seems your governor more concerned with his personal life than the state of Texas. Must be a horrible place to live!
Can’t sit still about your comment. Texas is wonderful. There are just some folks who are a little backward, not most. Houston is a center for the arts, San Antonio is famed for its food and culture, Fort Worth is our heart and soul, Austin, well, Austin is Austin, and Dallas even has its moments too.
The Editor
I was born and raised in Dallas! It’s a great place. There are lots of horse people there – more than you would imagine in a big city. And everyone that I ever know was 100% against horse slaughter.
TX is not the issue here. Killing our friends for cash is a national/international issue and our own politicians are involved in this, too. This has gone on for may years and locale has nothing to do with it. Until we force Congress to act and make sure they do so, we will continue to sit and watch our own friends die for no reason. It is up to American voters to make sure Congress acts. Special interest money cannot defeat voters who act on Congress. If we don’t call the people we elect to represent us, we are the ones to bear the guilt along with the criminals who enjoy cash for killing. It is up to each one of us to call Congress asap and keep doing so until this entire scenario changes. We need a moratorium on all shipping and killing until everyone involved is audited and prosecuted for their roles in this horror. http://www.Congress.org
Can anyone provide the phone number with extension and email address for Dr. Amend? It would help all of us.
And you’ve got places like Dallas Crown, Presidio, shooting burros… and the gateway to slaughter in Mexico. These are horrifying in their degrees of cruelty. Ethics (or in this case the severe lack there-of) trumps culture EVERY SINGLE TIME.
What a disappointment you are to me, Dr. Brown, as a vet, as a person. How can you leave those poor horses suffering without doing something to ease their already difficult circumstances. Your kind of reasoning went out with the Nuremberg trials a long time ago. Your condescending comment about “middle age women” says a lot about you, the jerk, apparently adding male chauvinism to your many, not so fine, attributes. Shame on you, your supervisors and everybody who goes by there ignoring what is going on. Not my idea of fine human beings. Just so you know, we’re not going away, young, middle age, or old women and men who do care about these horses. You’re not looking good when it comes to this story and we’ll make sure the whole country knows you.
Who is this private vet that he mentions? Sounds like money for nothing and our tax dollars going to waste again.
That entire can of worms should be prosecuted for felony violation. Right up there to Mr. Amend and beyond. Seriously, the entire horse industry is imperiled with their stupidity.
I also would like to know the phone # so this middle aged woman can call! Squeaky wheels eventually get oiled!
So, the vet doesn’t like getting phone calls from middle aged women complaining about the LACK of humane treatment for slaughter-bound horses? Oh, you mean, like me? Geez. He’s a VET! Isn’t it his job to administer to animals? He doesn’t sound like a good vet to me, IN MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION…sounds like a money-grubbing IDIOT! Oh, and yes, I’m 59. With age, SIR, comes wisdom and COMPASSION, something which he obviously doesn’t have. And, yes, he should be investigated and fired.
These men should also be reminded that with age, patience goes out the window and ‘middle aged’ women will have less patience and compassion for idiots.
As I would hope the courts would too. Guess, that’s why it is ‘Lady Justice’ and ‘Mr. Justice’.
That should read, ‘that’s why it is ‘Lady Justice’ and NOT ‘Mr. Justice’.
Glad that their ignorance and deceptive practices are coming to light. Yep, us middle aged women can be real tenacious when it comes to stopping animal cruelty. We are Horse Warriors, young, old and every age in between. It’s high time this horse slaughter business, dumping ground and all, gets a hit smack in between the eyes. Carry on, Horse Warriors, saving one horse at a time and in this case, maybe many hundreds of horses! Whoo hoo! Go get ‘em girls!
Whats his phone number? Anyone els want to call him? Be sure to tell him you are a”middle aged woman…!!!!!
Great, another Federal Employee who claims they are told to ignore a travesty. Also another example of Hoof in Mouth disease by a Federal Official. Why Gender and age are mentioned is a total lack of common sense and sensitivity. Get off your butt Brown (I will not call you Dr. until you deserve the recognition)and be a service to the Veterinary community. What Vet, other than you, allows animals to be kept in a torturous environment of starvation and abuse prior to being inhumanely slaughtered and eaten? Did your boss know this was happening when he told you to “ignore” the situation?
What does your boss want you to do in lieu of doing your job? Shine his shoes? Caddy his golf bag? Wash his car? What do you actually do anyway? I suspect that this “old man” (as you categorize us taxpayers), could do your job better than you, for half the pay, and still have the guts to stand up to my boss when he tells me to ignore my responsibilities to God’s creatures and the American taxpayer.
Who is this hired Vet? Is he/she subject to procecution for allowing this condition? If so, it would mean he is cheating the Government. Let’s have some prosecution for a change and see if it doesn’t create some accountability.
Thanks for the contact information Horseback, I’m looking forward to making the bureaucrats lives as miserable as they are making the horses.
Bravo!
Presidio (M) Dr. William Brown
USDA-APHIS-VS
P.O. Box 2830
Presidio, TX 79845
(432) 295-0201 Cell
(432) 229-2912 Fax
Assistant Executive Director, Animal Health Programs Terry Hensley, D.V.M.
512-719-0700
Dr. James Amend, Asst. AVIC
(512) 383-2400
I would also recommend a call to the D.A.’s office. This should be pursued.
Horse slaughter is not a form of humane euthanasia, nor is it a “necessary evil”. The horse slaughter industry is a predatory one that exists only because there is a profit to be made by fulfilling consumer demand in overseas markets for horse flesh.
As Donald Trump would say ….. You’re fired! Thank God you are not my Vet!
A complaint from a middle aged MAN!
Thank you,
Middle aged women are the largest group of horse owners in the country… more than cowboys, performance, rodeo and racing owners together! We need to start writing legislation which represents our demographic, the TRUE Horseperson of today (vs. United Horsemen, AQHA, etc.) Our dollars can speak volumes… and we seem to be the only (or main) group with a conscience!
85% of the horse industry is owned by women. We do have the power.
One veterinarian to another, you are a inexcusable example of the profession. You know what you have done and you should be investigated and punished for ignoring the crimes involved. From here forward you can make other choices and I humbly suggest you do.
Signed: A middle-aged female veterinarian
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/5/say-no-to-horse-consumption-law/
This is repulsive! Horses deserve so much better than this. I agree with F Bela, I would have fired this vet in a heartbeat. Here is a petition against this cruel and inhumane act.
Oooo.
The ire of a nation comes to bear in the form of middle-aged girls, who then turn their focus on yet another ill-mannered, indiscrete, lettered professional.
Shoulda stayed in bed, Dr. Brown. Shoulda never aired your personal biases about middle-aged girls, their passions for horses or their expectations for accountability.
(Chuckle, chuckle!)
Bless him, Girls for he has no idea WHAT size the can o’ whoop-ass he has opened himself up to.
Dialing now…
Poor guy. He shouldn’t have made us mad……
Disgusting, he should lose his vet license and get fired. He does not care about saving horses and that place should be shut down also, I am so hoping that SB1176 and HR 2966 get passed and they will be gone from there. How do they get away with the things they do there its unbelievable and has to STOP ASAP!!!!
I saw the numbers to call on this feed and everyone should call so that this can be stopped ASAP!!!!
Let’s all call and get this IGNORANT middle-aged man fired! What an attitude! And, he’s in charge of caring for animals? I shudder to think about that. Come on, girls, let’s CALL!!!!
I would caution those of you who would have Dr. Brown was fired, then he said it was the result of orders from his superiors. This is the appropriate hall should be tossed on asking why those orders were given in the first place. I certainly intend to pursue that line of questioning on Monday.
The editor
I agree. Perhaps Dr Brown’s superiors should be asked why they gave orders to ignore coggins tests when the country has had multiple EVH-1 outbreaks within the past year. Instead they are relying on the word of an anonymous private vet paid for by the horse slaughter industry that all horses are healthy and disease free. In this part of the country, we call that letting the fox guard the hen house. Sounds like in Texas, its business as usual. Dr Brown’s superiors should remember that our tax dollars pay their salaries. The inspectors are there to protect the public. If Dr Brown felt that what he was being asked to ignore was against the best interest of the public, there is the whistleblowers protection act. Instead of complaining that he is getting phone calls, perhaps he should be making some instead.
You are so right. Dr. Brown is complicit in this. If he was actually doing his job, some of those Presidio horses that were dragged out in the wash to die might have received some care or at least a quick death. And you would think after that incident came to light, that he would get off his rear and go down to C-4 and do his job. Did he even bother? Maybe someone should ask him.
Frankly, he should not get away with this and trying to blame the rucus on some middle-aged women who want answers just shows his ignorance, laziness and prejudice. He needs to put his grown up pants on right now before he gets spanked some more.
And if he doesn’t want to do his job, he should quit and go work for the cattle industry.
Here is the website for TCEQ if anyone wishes to contact them to file a complaint in addition to their phone calls: http://www.tceq.state.tx.us/
Filing complaints with the Board of Veterinary Medicine would be in order as well, their licenses to practice should be revoked. Here is the link to the Texas Board of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.tbvme.state.tx.us/
Here are the names of the veterinarians and contact information:
Presidio (M) Dr. William Brown
USDA-APHIS-VS
P.O. Box 2830
Presidio, TX 79845
(432) 295-0201 Cell
(432) 229-2912 Fax
Assistant Executive Director, Animal Health Programs Terry Hensley, D.V.M.
512-719-0700
Dr. James Amend, Asst. AVIC
(512) 383-2400
One of the excuses for the negligence appears to be claims that the Mexican drug cartel violence has prevented them from doing inspections. That is incorrect, as the C-4 pens are stateside. Unless C4 and the horse slaughter industry in general are tied with drug trafficking, which would not be at all surprising.
Please be polite when you make your complaints and concerns known and provide whatever documentation you are able to obtain. Making your complaints in writing is also recommended.
Emotionally charged personal insults, outbursts and remarks do not help the horses so if you contact any agencies with your complaints and concerns, please afford them the same courtesy you would expect.
Thank you for posting this contact information.
And just to clarify: “Brown says he doesn’t do inspections on the slaughter bound horses because the feds aren’t funding him to do the inspections.”
But now the ‘feds’ evidently *can* fund inspectors for horsemeat? WTF?
I am absolutely convinced that any vets working for the USDA ‘Meat Program’ are the bottom feeders in vet school, or those merely looking to get a cushy ‘gubmint’ job where they can sit on their lard asses all day enjoying full benefits, pay, and pensions. Don’t tell me that ANY of these knuckle-draggers have or had an ounce of compassion or mercy for animals. If a person did, they certainly wouldn’t choose these jobs. (I remember a story not long ago about vet students and their shocking callousness toward slaughter-bound animals)
This story, and the “vets” involved are beyond disgusting.
Thank you.
Of course the cartel are involved.. that is well known but shouldn’t stop them from doing their job.
What a hoot! And what a dork! And my taxes pay this creep?
Sorry. He is so obnoxious and revolting as a human and then as a government official, I just had to use the “d” word. BTW, this guy ensures, insures beef, pork, lamb and poultry for us/US to eat??????????? Holeee Ka-rap!
Quick, get me a list of the purveyors he and his team inspect.
Condescending, sexist piece of………….!
BTW, Horseback? Excellent reporting!
Yes, thank you Horseback! Keep up the great reportage.
I think we need to file a complaint with the US Dept of AG. What is he being paid to do sit around and complain about middle aged women. Yes be polite and professional but this is an outrage. Steve can we call the FBI since federal documents were admittedly falsified. They investigate false medical documentation etc. Ladies let us remember the first abolitionists were women.
I think you are correct about Secretary Vilsack. I don’t have a problem with filling up Dr Brown’s email, voicemail or phoning him, but I would certainly go straight to the top regarding Br Brown’s insulting attitude, unprofessionalism and dereliction of duty.
Here is the link for USDA “Feedback” via email:
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=FEEDBACK_FORM
Here is the link for Secretary Vilsack:
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is Tom Vilsack. The Secretary of the USDA is a member of the Presidential Cabinet and ninth in line to succeed the President.
Contact the Secretary by phone or mail at:
Phone: 1.202.720.3631
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Attention: Secretary Tom Vilsack
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 200-A
Washington DC 20250
And good ol’ Doc Brown needs to understand that the only thing unfunded for HCHS is kill floor inspections in the US. They are supposedly still required to inspect auctions, feedlots, transport, etc in conjunction with state ag authorities. Besides, Presidio takes all “meat” animals and I believe NAFTA requires some basic cursory inspection for import and export.
I would really like to abolish his ass. Thanks for the address and numbers.. Let’s fill his voicemail tomorrow, for Monday morning… All of them. Then if they are deleted fill it up Monday night. I won’t leave my name, but just Irate OLD Woman (65)please call me at 972-849-4724. You have certainly gotten my attention and I will call again tomorrow.
Thank you for getting the word out Horseback excellant reporting keep up the good work:) That vet should resign or get fired and that place should be shut down also!!!
The problem goes much deeper than this. The kill buyers run the transport program without any oversight from APHIS/USDA (you can verify this in OIG reports). Laura Allen has an article posted based on Valerie James-Patton’s research – http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1891 & more to come soon. It should be noted this has always been the case and not something that started when the plants closed. USDA has virtually no paperwork on slaughtered horses. What good does it do to inspect the horses when there is no paperwork and what they do have is falsified? There is no way to find out where the horses came from or who they belong to. The whole slaughter pipeline is an abomination. Nothing but deceit and deception from the auctions to feedlots, the transport and slaughter with everyone involved looking the other way. Horses just disappear as if they never existed. There is nothing that tracks what horses went over the borders and what horses have been rejected (and more importantly, why) and the paperwork they do have doesn’t match any of the horses. So exactly where are those 7,000 horses going? That’s why the “abandoned” horses don’t have police reports because it’s their own KBs doing the abandoning. Our government and its agencies do nothing.
How many millions will it cost the taxpayers to fix the transport program; if it can be fixed? And we’re supposed to dish out millions of dollars for inspections, broken transport programs, a passport system, etc. so the foreign meat industry can brutally slaughter less than 2% of the horse population?
We’ve said it all along; the truth would come out and I think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg. And let’s see where it all leads to and how many more horses will meet a horrific end before Congress gets off their respective butts and end it…
They hired a private vet? Seriously? Is that legal? Can I hire a private vet to go close them down?
To your questions…
Yes, yes, yes, NO!
As the caretaker and home of the survivors of the West Texas 25 who were rescued this past August I can tell you the horses were between the ages of 2-9. Most were so starved and sick with strangles and had what we call “Dirty Papers” meaning their coggins didn’t match. When is this madness going to stop??? I cannot begin to imagine driving anywhere without solid coggins on one of our horses. I cannot imagine a vet not thinking of the horses first. Once again the State capitol is controlling this nightmare as the burro killings. When will it stop? We fight this fight everyday and yes we sure wish there were more to help us. I invite anyone to come down and see what we deal with here. From the kill trucks that sneak through (yes we get their numbers etc we have spies everywhere) to the drop off point. Thankfully, the horses that we have cared for after Amber from RUSH and the Sheriff in Presidio pulled them out have overcome their nightmare and half have been adopted to loving homes. But it took 4 months of QT and over $30,000 of our personal funds and kindness of strangers to do this. We are non profit but rely on donations. Thank you friends for being mad and reposting this nightmare. I urge you all to join us on our facebook page and see the happy stories…as we say We save the ones we can and pray for those we can’t.. Blessings to all.. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Survivors-of-the-West-Texas-25-Yings-Lil-Angels-of-Hope/256737247680519
In correspondance with my North Carolina Senator it was noted that the added protections and inspections of horses being transported to slaughter would raise the government costs from $500,000 to $5,000,000,000. This led me to believe that Congress will not allow for any extra protection for horses during transport or when they arrive at their destination. the answer being ban slaughter of horses.
What if the people of Texas establish and elevate the horse as their state symbol and mandate that such status by law affords automatically the protection of both wild and domesticated equines, with the imposition of fines and penalties for harming a symbol which represents the state?
This is how one positively raises not simply the market value of the species, but their ACTUAL, REAL and intrinsic value, and brings forth the best the horse industry can offer, which is the long-term, viable economic growth through protection and humane care that sustains other industries in the same positive manner. This benefits the horse as well as the majority. Instead of the filthy, greedy disposable and throwaway “economics” of many industries such as horse racing which are the very cause of atrocities such as Presido and only benefit the wealthy and those in collusion with them.
And any individual, company and industry which directly or indirectly promotes, endorses or otherwise profits from an equine industry which behaves with greedy, disposable attitudes and actions toward horses should never be patronized.
We can start with Texas, but why is the eagle, and not the horse, our national symbol? Why a predatory bird, rather than the obvious species deserving of such status and protection? Did eagles carry the homesteaders across the plains and plow their fields, carry their children to school, and deliver our mail?
Thanks for the contact information. As to Dr Amend, I left a message with the person who answered his phone today. Apparently, this is a bookkeeper. She said she can’t pass along any messages to a voicemail and she “just pays bills.” I had to insist that she pass along a message. This is the USDA? I think Dr Amend needs to speak with Horseback Magazine and let the editor tell taxpayers the Dr’s story of woe. We would appreciate that tale. I am trailing the fate of the horses from the I-40 wreck (Three Angels in TN, Dorian Ayache) and am interested in any reliable informaton about their location(s). I was told those horses could be in Presidio, Eagles Pass, Indiana, Oregon, etc. I have also been told that Ayache is a well known kill buyer at auctions in KY, too. I would appreciate an update on the location of these horses from Ayache. Among all the sources I have talked to, no one can find these horses. While I am not surprised, this again shows the lack of responsible behavior on the part of the owners, those who transport, the personnel in TX, the lack of paperwork, the lack of audits, the need for a way to check back with owners who may have sold to Ayache or his buddies unknowingly and may want to reclaim their horses, lack of humane treatment of the horses (Ayache is known in Presidio as heartless and cruel), lack of oversight and lack of ability to look into these operations and find out what else they may be involved in. Anyone who operates in that manner will likely have other issues which may involve state and federal law. As has been said in by contacts in TX, this kill buyer does everything illegally. Any information about that situation would be appreciated by groups and others I correspond with on social media.
BTW, I am sure everyone has seen this petition against the use of double deckers again. As we all know, those were/are favored by the killers. This petition I received today is from the Animal Welfare Institute. Here is the link to this one: http://www.awionline.org/action-ealerts/calls-needed-today-support-ban-hauling-horses-double-deck-trailers
The House has refused to listen and so has the Senate. This is a bipartisan issue, apparently. The money is the reason this killing continues. Until the money becomes less important than the constant action of enraged voters contacting Congress, our trusting friends will continue to be killed. At 70.00 per pound (a number I have read and not verified), some of our elected officials will play this horrific game. It is easy cash. If you follow the money, you get answers about who is doing what.
In the meantime, we need an immediate moratorium on all shipping and killing until we have answers to some basic questions: what about the lack of basic paperwork which is demanded in any other business, how are the kill buyers getting away with this fraud, how is the lack of humane enforcement happening when so many know about it, how do auctions continue to operate as hells for horses, how do killers manage to evade all enforcement when they use unsafe and dangerous transport vehicles which endanger other drivers on the road–the list goes on and on. This is an out-of-control activity and reminscent of trafficking in a banned substance. This entire situation does not resemble any legitimate business I have ever seen.
There are many groups who want an end to slaughter and to the killer buyers activities. These petty criminals will do anything to get hold of a horse to use for cash. Anyone who uses AKA’s to obtain a pet needs to feel enforcement.
Until we all decide to unite and force Congress to hear us as one national voice, they can continue to pretend this issue does not matter. While venting is good, the way to force a change in law is to demand the people we elect listen to us.
If everyone who opposed this vicious practice called Congress repeatedly and contacted media constantly, this hell for our horses would end. When it comes to this kind of money, the forces for good have to be organized, persistent and forceful with both the House and the Senate.
Time is short and every day, more of the innocent die. We need a national presence in media and for Congress. This sickening killing of our horses has gone on for many years and it will take a lot of persistent and forceful action to make sure it ends forever here in the U.S. We all have to call and raise the issue and all the time. We have to tell others as often as possible. That is how this can end. I don’t know any other way to pass law. Re enforcement, that has to be funded and verified. Otherwise, law will be useless.
Sorry, the link to Congress is http://www.Congress.org.