It has been reported that members of United States Congress voted to end the ban on horse slaughter late last week, and that their decision had much to do with a General Accounting Office's report called 'Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter.'

An article by The Oklahoman explains that the five-year-old ban led to an increase in numbers of abandoned horses, a spike in the exportation of equine for slaughter, and a drop in the price of horses.

According to the article, the GAO's report states that, “Horse welfare in the United States has generally declined since 2007, as evidenced by a reported increase in horse abandonments and an increase in investigations for horse abuse and neglect."

(With files from The Oklahoman)