Horse slaughter bill killed, legislators take on right to repair, pesticide

A bill to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption, which hasn’t been available in the United States since 2007, fell by the wayside in the state Senate this week when the bill’s Democratic sponsor reneged on an agreement with Democrats on the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis of Longmont agreed to an amendment on Senate Bill 38 when it was in committee, to rewrite the bill to change it from a ban on horse slaughter to put more restrictions on how horses are transported when they’re headed to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.
The last slaughterhouse in the United States closed in 2007, and it isn’t legal for horse meat to be sold in the U.S. because the meat is not inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and because of medications used on horses that are not good for humans.
Facing defeat from rural Democrats on the committee and complaints from ag groups that the bill was originally intended to be about transport, Jaquez Lewis brought an amendment, negotiated with ag committee chair Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Eagle, to require any transport of at least 20 horses headed to slaughter to be done in a humane manner.
But when the bill got to the Senate floor, she abandoned that agreement, stating that a bill on transport condoned horse slaughter. She attempted an amendment to identify who buys horses at auctions for sending them to slaughter. Jaquez Lewis called the amendment “a meeting of the minds,” though it was unclear just whose minds agreed to it.
That amendment, and the decision to back off the agreement from the committee, cost her the support of eight Democrats, including Roberts and committee vice-chair Sen. Nick Hinrichsen of Pueblo. That was enough to kill the bill on a 20-14 vote.

Right to repair
The right for farmers or independent repair shops to repair agricultural equipment is awaiting agreement from the House before sending it off to the governor.
House Bill 1011, sponsored by Hinrichsen and Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, won final approval from the Senate on March 16, but with a lot of amendments, both by the full Senate and by the Senate ag committee.
Despite strong support from almost every ag group in the state, the bill has been opposed by Republicans, including those who represent rural and ag communities.
The bill would allow those who own ag equipment, or independent repair shops, to obtain parts, including software and hardware, to repair high-tech ag equipment and forego having those repairs done by the dealer or manufacturer.
Republicans have opposed the bill in both the House and Senate because of concerns about its impact on the bottom line, primarily for the dealers. Backers point out that some of the repairs are simple and can be done by the owner or independent repair shop, and that there is a technician shortage that often delays those repairs. That costs the farmers money and takes time away from the farm.

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