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As an equine advocate, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for Sen. Susan Collins’ invaluable role as an original cosponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (S. 2037). Her dedication to ending horse slaughter is truly commendable, and I urge her to continue her support of the SAFE Act in the 2023 Farm Bill.
Statistics from Edge Research and the ASPCA shed light on the significant potential to address the issue of horse slaughter. The 2017 findings show that tens of thousands of U.S. horses go to slaughter each year. The same study revealed there are approximately 1.2 million U.S. households with both the resources and desire to immediately adopt a horse. These findings strongly suggest that there are enough homes available to adopt horses equal to the number that would otherwise be sent to slaughter for the next decade.
I once again express my deepest gratitude for Sen. Collins’ support as an original cosponsor of the SAFE Act. Her dedication to protecting the lives and well-being of horses is commendable, and I am grateful for her efforts. I kindly urge her to maintain this commitment to the SAFE Act and support its inclusion in the 2023 Farm Bill to work towards a future where slaughter is a thing of the past and every horse is given the opportunity to find a loving home.
Kim Schwickrath
Old Orchard Beach