The SAFE Act 2025-2026
The Save America's Forgotten Equines Act
H.R. 1661 & S. 775
December 19, 2025:
The SAFE Act has been reintroduced into both the Senate and the House for the 2025 - 2026 legislative session in Congress. Scroll down for graphics you can share on social media and for a Q&A by Scott Beckstead.
The Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act would expand the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act passed in the 2018 Farm Bill to include the word 'equines', permanently protecting American horses from slaughter
H.R. 1661 in the House of Representatives:
To amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption. To read the entire bill at congress.gov, click here. As of December 19, 2025, 218 Representatives are supporting the bill!! This is great news because this means the House of Representatives must put this bill to a vote.
We can still use more cosponsors, so go here to see if your Representative is a cosponsor and if he/she is not a cosponsor, click on this link to find out who your Representative is so you can call ask them to be a cosponsor: www.house.gov/representatives If your Representative is already a cosponsor, give them a quick call and thank them for supporting it!
If your US Representative is NOT a cosponsor, then they NEED to hear from you ASAP! When you call or email your Representative, your script is simple:
“I am calling (or writing) today to ask Representative ___________________ to immediately co sponsor bill H.R. 1661 The SAFE Act of 2025: ‘To amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption.’ This issue is very important to me, my family, and my fellow constituents in your district. Thank you, (your name)”
S. 775 in the Senate:
A bill to amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption. To read the bill at congress.gov, click here. As of December 19, 2025, there are only 4 cosponsors. To see the cosponsor list, click here.
If your US Senator is NOT a cosponsor, then they NEED to hear from you ASAP!
“I am calling today to ask Senator ___________________ to immediately co sponsor bill S.775 the SAFE Act of 2025: ‘To amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption.’ This issue is very important to me, my family, and my fellow constituents in your district. This is a bi-partisan issue and the House has enough cosponsors to put their version of the bill to a vote. Thank you, (your name)"
If your Senator is up for reelection in 2026, you can also mention that he/she will not receive your vote unless they support the SAFE Act this year.
Tips for making calls on the SAFE Act
• Do NOT mention wild horse roundups when contacting your legislators about the SAFE Act; these are two different legislative issues and if you combine them, it will be too confusing for legislators. It will confuse the issue. Be calm, mature, and professional when making phone calls to legislators. No swearing or threatening remarks should be made. You want to develop a relationship with your legislators offices and staff, not be known as a crazy activist whose calls they will refuse to take or listen to. This bill is meant to protect all American equines including domestic & wild horses, burros, & mules. Talking about wild horse roundups & AIP (Adoption Incentive Program) will only confuse your Rep/Senators. Stay on point!
• One of the reasons some legislators are not supporting the bill is because they wonder what will happen to all the horses currently being shipped to slaughter. Where will the horses go, who will take care of them? Passing the SAFE Act will force backyard breeders (including the Amish) to stop breeding horses and burros for the sole purpose of dropping them at auction pens to make a few dollars. Passing the SAFE Act will also eventually force the racing and other horse related industries to stop overbreeding. You can also mention that the shipping of American equines is a cruel and inhumane process resulting in immense pain and suffering for the horses, burros, and mules. In addition, horse meat is NOT safe for human or pet consumption. Equines are given all sorts of medications including wormers and yearly vaccinations that are not safe for humans or domestic pets to consume. Scroll down for Myths and Facts compiled by Scott Beckstead that you can share with your legislators.
I would like to thank the Wild Beauty Foundation for their hard work on the SAFE Act this year. Legislation only gets passed when we make our voices heard - let’s do that now for our beloved American equines, both domestic and wild. It’s way past time for Congress to pass the SAFE Act and for the White House to sign it into law!
More on the SAFE Act
Why are there two bills?
One of the bills has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and the other bill has been introduced in the Senate. This can complicate things. In short, each bill will need to get enough cosponsors and be put to a vote to pass. Then the two bills will need to be combined to make just one version, with every t crossed and every i dotted in the exact same way.
The SAFE Act, in different versions, has been introduced multiple times in Congress and in 20 years has never been passed. Now is the time! But it will take you, the people, to make your voices heard and to ask your US Representative and both of your Senators to cosponsor the bill today. These bills are the federal level, not your state level.
There are 2 bills and three actions for you to make:
1) Your US Representative. Your script: "I am calling Rep ________ today to ask him/her to cosponsor H.R. 1661 the SAFE Act and support a ban on horse slaughter in the upcoming Farm Bill. Thank you."
2) Each of your US Senators for your state. Your script: "I am calling today to ask Senator _________ to support the SAFE Act S.775, to protect our American equines from slaughter. Thank you."
Don't know who your US Rep or Senators are? Call 202.224.3121 and the switchboard will help you or go to https://www.congress.gov/members
3) Once you make the calls, then go to each of their websites and use their Contact Me pages to email them the same message, changing the word 'calling' to 'writing'.
• The H.R. in front of the bill number means this bill is in the House of Representatives, not the Senate. Only call your US Representative about this bill number. The S in front of the bill number means the bill is in the Senate; only call your US Senators on this bill.
• Always use the bill number & title when calling your Rep to support a bill, in this case always say: H.R. 1661 The SAFE ACT
These bills WILL NOT pass without you, the public, making the calls.
The graphics below can be found on the Save Our Wild Horses FB and Instagram pages for you to share.
IN SUPPORT OF THE SAVE AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN EQUINES (SAFE) ACT, H.R. 1661/S. 775 by Scott Beckstead:
Because of the central role they played in our nation’s history, Americans have a deep respect and love for horses. It’s a part of our American cultural heritage to regard horses as companions and partners in work, sport, and recreation. And just as we don’t eat dogs or cats, we also don’t eat horses. In fact, the idea of eating the meat of an animal as beloved and iconic as the horse is antithetical to American ideals. Horses feature prominently in American literature, film, and television, and we even name our most famous American muscle car and a number of our sports teams after equine icons. Unfortunately, while we have a long history of celebrating horses as something above and beyond mere companions, the U.S. has been a “producer” nation when it comes to horses killed and butchered for their meat, which is served up on dinner plates in places of the world where horse is considered a delicacy.
A 2022 poll found that 83 percent of Americans are opposed to the slaughter of American horses for human consumption. This popular sentiment is reflected in the laws of a number of states including Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida, and California, all of which have passed laws to protect horses from the cruelty of slaughter.
With the overwhelming opposition to horse slaughter, it stands to reason that these same Americans, most of whom are also taxpayers, don’t want their tax dollars being used to facilitate a wretched industry that benefits a greedy, cruel few, the “kill buyers” who buy and sell horses for slaughter - let alone foreign meat companies who butcher American equines and sell their flesh to other nations, including hostile adversaries like China and Russia.
Our high esteem for these magnificent creatures is also the reason there are no horse slaughter plants operating in the U.S. The last plants closed in 2007 after the federal government decided not to allocate funds to the USDA to inspect horse slaughter facilities. This also prevented new facilities from opening. Simply put, Americans don’t want their hard-earned tax dollars being used to subsidize an industry we don’t support, for a product we don’t consume.
Horses are not raised as food animals in this country and are routinely administered drugs and other substances by veterinarians, trainers, and private owners that are toxic to humans. Due to serious food safety and animal welfare concerns, the European Union suspended horsemeat imports from Mexico – where 87% of horses slaughtered for export to the EU are of U.S. origin – and tightened regulations on Canadian horsemeat imports.
The 2013 horse meat scandal in Europe should serve as a cautionary tale. When horsemeat was discovered in meat products in Europe, the livestock and food industries suffered serious losses. When the USDA was asked if this contamination could happen here, their only reassurance was that horses are not slaughtered in the U.S.
Proponents of horse slaughter like to characterize it as a “necessary evil,” as if horse owners have no other options when they are no longer able or willing to care for their horse. Yet recent research in 2017 found that there are 2.3 million Americans who are both willing and currently have the resources to rescue a horse. While tens of thousands of horses are still exported for slaughter each year, most horse owners humanely euthanize their animals with a licensed veterinarian when the animal becomes old, sick, or lame. If a person can no longer care for their horse, they have a responsibility to rehome the horse or, as a last resort, opt for humane euthanasia if no other option exists.
No animal has played a more pivotal role in the development of a nation than the horse did in the United States. Now it is time to transform our love for the horse into real, permanent protections. The forces that prey on horses are on the losing end of a trajectory that is sure to culminate in an end to horse slaughter, but we must wait no longer. The time is now.
MYTHS AND FACTS REGARDING HORSE SLAUGHTER
Myth: The foreign-owned plants in the U.S. were a better alternative than horse slaughter plants over the border.
Fact: The plants in the U.S. were finally prohibited from slaughtering horses for good reason. Undercover footage from inside these horse slaughter facilities in the U.S. demonstrated how horrific these plants were - many horses were conscious when they were shackled and hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut. There was a history of abuse and cruelty at the U.S. plants, including employees whipping horses in the face and horses giving birth on the killing floors. The USDA released photos of horses with broken bones protruding from their bodies, eyeballs hanging by a thread of skin, and open wounds, all taken at former U.S. horse slaughterhouses. Slaughter is not “euthanasia” – it is a brutal and terrifying end for horses. We should not allow our horses to be subjected to this tremendous cruelty inside – or outside – of our borders.
Myth: This legislation will lead to an increase in unwanted horses and resulting horse abuse and neglect.
Fact: A ban on horse slaughter will not lead to an increase in unwanted horses or abuse and neglect. USDA statistics show that more than 92% of horses slaughtered are in good condition and able to live productive lives. In California, where horse slaughter was banned in 1998, there has been no corresponding rise in cruelty and neglect cases, while horse theft dropped by 34% after the ban. In Illinois, when the plant was shut down for two years, horse neglect and abuse decreased in the state. Allowing one’s horse to starve is not an option in any state – state anti-cruelty laws prohibit such neglect. Most horses that go to slaughter are not unwanted, but rather wind up in the hands of killer buyers because they are in good health and will bring a better price per pound for their meat. Providing for a horse, including humane euthanasia when necessary, is just part of responsible ownership. The SAFE Act will not limit owners’ rights to sell, donate, or euthanize their horses.
Myth: There is no need for this legislation because slaughter is a humane form of euthanasia.
Fact: Horse slaughter is a far cry from humane euthanasia. “Euthanasia” means a gentle, painless death provided in order to prevent suffering. Horse slaughter is a death fraught with terror, pain, and suffering. Horses are shipped for more than 24 hours at a time in crowded double-deck cattle trucks without food, water, or rest. Pregnant mares, foals, injured horses, and even blind horses must endure the journey. Once they arrive, their suffering intensifies – our undercover footage of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. demonstrated that conscious horses were shackled and hoisted by the rear leg and have their throats slit. When no other option exists, unwanted horses should be humanely euthanized by a licensed veterinarian rather than placed on a truck, cruelly transported and then butchered. The vast majority of horse owners provide their horses with a dignified death by euthanasia administered by a trained veterinarian when their horses become elderly, ill, or lame.
Myth: Banning horse slaughter undermines private property rights.
Fact: Allowing horse slaughter facilitates violation of property rights by encouraging the conversion of private property when horses stolen and sold for a profit. Many domestic horses are stolen out of pastures and barns every year for the horsemeat trade. When California banned horse slaughter in 1998, the horse theft rate dropped 34%. Further, private property rights do not grant owners the unfettered right to abuse their animals. Every state has anti-cruelty laws that mandate protections for animals. Owners will still have ample legal options of reselling, donating, or euthanizing their horse, which costs approximately $200-300 – the amount of one month’s keep for a horse).
Myth: Ending horse slaughter will cause environmental harm because there will be so many carcasses in need of disposal.
Fact: USDA documents that more than 92% of horses that go to slaughter are in good condition – they will not need to be euthanized. Some 900,000 horses die annually and are safely disposed of by means other than slaughter, and the infrastructure can easily absorb an increase in numbers. Rendering, incineration and burial are all options, depending on local laws. Conversely, the operation of the horse slaughterhouses has a very real negative environmental impact, with all three in violation of local environmental laws related to the disposal of blood and other waste materials.
Myth: If this legislation is enacted, the federal government will face the financial burden of care for horses no longer going to slaughter.
Fact: This assertion rests on the false premise that all horses currently going to slaughter would become the financial responsibility of the federal government. Horse owners, not the government, will remain responsible for the care of their horses. Owners who no longer wish to keep their horses and who cannot sell or place their horses in a new home will have the option of humane euthanasia. The average cost for veterinarian-administered euthanasia and carcass disposal – approximately $200-300, the cost of one month’s care – is simply a part of responsible horse ownership.
COMMON HORSE SLAUGHTER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Question: Won’t this legislation prohibit owners from from putting horses down on their property?
Answer: Absolutely not. In fact, that is exactly the sort of humane treatment we mean to encourage rather than loading horses on to trucks for days of suffering and a cruel death. More than 90 percent of all horse owners already use humane euthanasia when their horse is too old or ill to enjoy a good quality of life. This legislation specifically prohibits the commercial slaughter of horses for human consumption – humane euthanasia will continue to be a legal option.
Question: What will we do with all the unwanted horses who otherwise would go to slaughter if there isn’t room for them in sanctuaries?
Answer: Not every horse currently going to slaughter will need to be absorbed into the rescue community – only a small minority of horses will need placement. Most will be sold to a new owner and others will be kept longer. For the small number unable to find a home or enjoy a good quality of life, a licensed veterinarian can provide humane euthanasia. USDA documents that 92.3% of all horses sent to slaughter are in good condition and therefore able to live out a productive life. Passage of this legislation will not necessarily lead to an increase in the number of horses sent to rescue facilities, precisely because humane euthanasia is so widely used. Hundreds of horse rescue organizations operate around the country, and additional facilities are being established.
Question: If slaughter is not an option, what will we do with sick, old and "unwanted horses?"
Answer: Approximately 900,000 horses die annually in this country (10 percent of an estimated population of 9 million) and the vast majority are not slaughtered, but euthanized and rendered or buried. Humane euthanasia and carcass disposal is highly affordable and widely available. The average cost of having a horse humanely euthanized and safely disposing of the animal's carcass is usually between two hundred and three hundred dollars, approximately the average monthly cost of keeping a horse.
Question: Is it true that slaughter is only a last resort for infirm, dangerous or no longer serviceable horses?
Answer: No. 92.3% of horses arriving at slaughter plants in this country are in "good" condition, according to the US Department of Agriculture's Guidelines for Handling and Transporting Equines to Slaughter. Horses arrive at slaughter after being purchased by “killer buyers” (middlemen hired by slaughterhouses to secure horses) who seek out healthy, fat horses who provide greater profits than older, leaner horses. For those who are sick or injured, the last resort should be immediate euthanasia rather subjecting such vulnerable horses to grueling transport and a terrible slaughter process.
Question: Won’t the disposal of thousands of horse carcasses cause environmental harm?
Answer: Approximately 900,000 horse carcasses are safely disposed of annually by means other than slaughter, and the current infrastructure can absorb an increase in numbers. Conversely, horse slaughterhouses have a very real negative environmental impact, with all three that operated in the U.S. in violation of environmental law related to the disposal of blood and other waste materials. Mayor Paula Bacon of Kaufman, TX – the former home of one of the three horse slaughter plants – stated, “Dallas-Crown is operating in violation of a multitude of local laws pertaining to waste management, air quality and other environmental concerns... Residents are also fed up with the situation. Long-established neighbors living adjacent to the plant cannot open their windows or run air conditioners without enduring the most horrific stench.”
Question: Won’t this legislation result in “unregulated shipment of horses to slaughter” and the continued movement of horses longer distances to Canada or Mexico for slaughter?
Answer: No. Under the bill, American horses would not be allowed to be exported for slaughter. The bill will terminate any legal option for sending American horses to slaughter – within the United States or to any foreign slaughterhouse.
Question: Won’t people just lie and ship horses to Mexico and Canada under false pretenses?
Answer: If they do, they will be criminally liable under the False Claims Act which makes it illegal to falsify any information in statements made to the U.S. government. Further, any legislative change requires enforcement and there is already an enforcement mechanism in place with the USDA and border agents. Making it illegal to move horses for slaughter, as the legislation does, will at the very least, dramatically reduce the number of horses exported for slaughter and it will make a criminal of anyone who dares to continue this practice. We will be committed to supporting funding for USDA’s enforcement efforts, as we have been for many years, to ensure that anyone acting illegally is prosecuted.
Question: Don’t transport regulations provide strong protection for horses being shipped to slaughter?
Answer: No. The 2002 regulations allow horses to be shipped for more than 24 hours without food, water or rest, with injured limbs, with eyes missing, even heavily pregnant. The regulations only cover the final journey to the slaughterhouse. If horses are loaded and unloaded at various places as part of their route to slaughter, only the final leg of the trip is currently covered. Enforcement of these regulations will only occur once the truck reaches the slaughter plant, so these guidelines have little preventative effect. The regulations are wholly inadequate and allow extreme suffering in transport to continue.
Question: Won’t the federal government face the financial burden of care for horses no longer going to slaughter?
Answer: Certainly not. Horses that are currently going to slaughter would not suddenly become the financial responsibility of the federal government. Horse owners, not the government, will remain responsible for the care of their horses. Owners who no longer wish to keep their horses and who cannot sell or place their horses in a new home will have the option of humane euthanasia. The average cost for veterinarian-administered euthanasia and carcass is simply a part of responsible horse ownership.
Question: Won’t a prohibition on horse slaughter create a precedent to ban beef, pork and poultry production by legitimizing efforts to end consumption of food derived from any animal?
Answer: Americans don't eat horses and, unlike cows, pigs, and chickens, we don't breed them for human consumption. Last year, more than 10 billions animals were bred and raised as food animals and consumed in America. It is an unreasonable leap to think that preventing horse slaughter for human consumption (that doesn’t even take place in the U.S.) could possibly lead to a ban on hamburgers. With horses, we, along with the American public, see a completely different situation because they simply are not food animals in America. The American public overwhelming supports a ban on horse slaughter precisely because horses have a special place in our heritage and they are beloved companions to millions today.
Question: If there is a ban on horse slaughter, will horsemeat no longer be available for pet food?
Answer: No. This practice stopped decades ago related to the enactment of protections for America's wild horses in 1971. The US public and Congress were outraged to learn federal agencies were rounding up and allowing the exploitation and slaughter of these national treasures for items such as pet food. Pet food in the U.S. does not contain horsemeat.
Question: If the bill is passed, will zoos be prevented from feeding their big cats an adequate diet?
Answer: No. Zoos will be able to continue to feed horse meat to their big cats, as the bill will only stop the domestic slaughter of horses for human consumption. However, very few facilities have ever used horsemeat and there is a growing trend to feed a beef-based diet to captive big cats. Most USDA-licensed facilities that keep big cats like lions and tigers have switched to such diets because it is a healthier alternative for these species. Horses are routinely treated with wormers and many drugs that are prohibited for use in animals raised for food.
Question: Don’t horse slaughterhouses provide meaningful financial resources for their communities?
Answer: In all three local communities where they recently operated, horse slaughterhouses had worn out their welcome. For example, on August 15, 2005, the Kaufman City council, home to Dallas Crown, fed up with the ongoing problems stretching from the plants opening in 1986, voted unanimously to implement termination proceedings against the plant. Mayor Paula Bacon of Kaufman has written a letter to the entire Senate requesting federal action to stop horse slaughter in their community. These foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses have repeatedly been fined for violations of local laws and creating sewage overflows in the community. These plants pay less local property tax ($7500 for Dallas Crown) than an average citizen in the community. Income tax documents for Dallas Crown were even more shocking, showing that the plant paid $5.00 in income tax for 2005. There is no import or export tariff on horsemeat and most, if not all, of the profits are sent back to the parent companies in France and Belgium. It is difficult for these communities to attract any new businesses because of the negative stigma created by these plants. The minimal financial contributions of these facilities are vastly overshadowed by the enormous economic and development-suppressing burden they represent to their local communities and the negative image they create for our country. As Mayor Bacon said in her letter, “As a community leader where we are directly impacted by the horse slaughter industry, I can assure you the economic development return to our community is negative. The foreign-owned companies profit at our expense -- it is time for them to go.”
Question: Don’t horse slaughterhouses provide employment?
Answer: All three of the foreign-owned plants in the U.S. collectively employed a sum total of less than 150 workers and those workers received poor pay and benefits. Many were immigrants working in one of the most dangerous jobs because horses, in particular, are so flighty that they are difficult to stun properly before dismemberment. This dangerous environment, where workers wield sharp knives and deal with fractious horses, does not provide desirable employment. The employment opportunities related to the horse slaughter industry were vastly overshadowed by the direct harm to their employees, the enormous burden and harm they inflicted on their local communities, and the negative image they created for our country.
For these reasons, and for our nation’s love of the horse and its important place in our nation’s history and culture, I urge Congress to take immediate action to pass the SAFE Act into law.
Scott Beckstead