California AG Sent a Letter to USDA Opposing Sale of Wild Horses for Commercial Slaughter

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue opposing the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to round up and auction 1,000 protected wild horses on the Devil’s Garden Plateau Wild Horse Territory in California as part of its wildlife maintenance and land management program. The Forest Service’s plan involves an initial auction of the wild horses in accordance with California state law, which prohibits the sale or acceptance of any horse by any person with the intent of killing that horse, followed by an unconditional sale of any remaining wild horses, which would allow persons or entities to purchase the wild horses for commercial use, including food production. In his letter, AG Becerra noted his obligation to enforce California’s legal prohibition against the sale of horses for commercial use, and requested that all horses sold in the roundup go to buyers declaring their compliance with California state law.