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Washington,
DC (October 14, 2008) – The Animal Welfare Institute
commends Magna Entertainment Corp’s (MEC) adoption of a policy
directly aimed at ensuring horses stabled and raced at any of
Magna’s countless racetracks don’t end up in slaughterhouses. MEC
owns and operates racetracks across the entire United States.
In a statement recently released, MEC
wrote “any trainer or owner stabling at an MEC facility who directly
or indirectly participates in the transport of a horse from an MEC
facility to either a slaughterhouse or an auction house engaged in
selling horses for slaughter will be prohibited from having stalls
at any MEC facility. The policy also applies to any actions related
to the transport of a horse from an MEC facility where the ultimate
intended result is the horse's slaughter.”
Magna’s announcement comes on the
heels of several actions within the racing industry in relation to
horse slaughter. In June, Suffolk Downs of Massachusetts, a long
time supporter of the Animal Welfare Institute’s campaign to end
horse slaughter instituted the first policy banning those involved
in horse slaughter from their track. Soon after this policy went
into effect, a trainer was caught sending a horse to slaughter and
was immediately banned by Suffolk Downs. Later in the month while
Congress was considering legislation to ban horse slaughter, the
National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) surprised many by
issuing a letter flipping on their long time support of legislation
to end horse slaughter. The letter prompted a counter letter signed
by 40 of the racing industry’s leading owners, trainers and jockeys
expressing their support for all legislation aimed at banning horse
slaughter.
“Magna and their Chairman and CEO,
Frank Stronach are to be congratulated for this monumental humane
stand. For years Magna has supported our efforts to ban horse
slaughter and now they join the growing ranks of organizations such
as Suffolk Downs who will no longer tolerate irresponsible
individuals operating on their tracks,” noted Chris Heyde, deputy
director government and legal affairs for the Animal Welfare
Institute.
The Animal Welfare Institute calls
on other organizations and horse industry leaders to join with Magna
Entertainment Corp. and Suffolk Downs by barring those who wish to
profit from the abuse and neglect of horses. “Nobody, including the
racing industry, should turn a blind eye to the abuse and cruelty of
horse slaughter. The racing industry can help by supporting federal
legislation banning horse slaughter and by prohibiting those who
supply the horse slaughter industry from racing anywhere in the
United States, like Magna is doing,” said Heyde.
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Contact:
Chris Heyde, (703) 836-4300
For over 57
years, the Animal Welfare Institute has been the leading voice for
animals across the country and on Capitol Hill to reduce the sum
total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. To learn more
about us, please visit
www.awionline.org.
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