Rhode Island Bans Double Decker Trucks For Horse Transport

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Humane Society of the United States applauds the Rhode Island General Assembly for passing legislation to ban the use of double-decker trucks to transport horses in the state. Sen. Dominick Ruggerio, D-Providence, and Rep. Amy Rice, D-Portsmouth, introduced the legislation in response to a tragic accident last year resulting in the deaths of 18 young Belgian draft horses after a double-decker cattle truck overturned on the highway in Illinois.

"The Humane Society of the United States is grateful to Senator Ruggerio and Representative Rice for spearheading this important legislation to protect horses," said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for The HSUS. "We have seen grisly and tragic accidents in other states, and the best way to protect horses from such horrors is to enact common-sense policies to protect them during transport."

Double-decker trucks are designed for short-necked species such as cattle and hogs, not horses who are forced to stoop in the cramped quarters, many times causing severe injuries. In addition to the accident last year that prompted Sen. Ruggerio and Rep. Rice to introduce the Rhode Island ban, a similar double-decker accident involving 41 horses and a mule in transit to a DeKalb, Ill. horse slaughter plant killed 16 horses in 2006. Illinois has since banned horse slaughter in the state and the plant is closed.

Federal legislation is currently pending to ban the use of double-decker trailers for transporting horses (H.R. 6278), and to end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption and prohibit their export for slaughter in other countries (S. 311/H.R. 503).

Source: www.hsus.org

I think this is GREAT! Now if we can just keep pushing to get every state to pass the same law! AND...to stop horseslaughter everywhere!

Way to go Rhode Island!