Federal legislation that would prohibit the sale of horsemeat for human consumption on grounds that it is unsafe has been reintroduced into the U.S. Senate.

The John Stringer Rainey Memorial Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act is intended to prohibit horse processing plant development in the United States and ban the export of horses for processing in foreign countries, including Mexico and Canada.

Introduced Aug. 3 by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI), and Susan Collins, (R-ME), S 1706, the legislation maintains that meat from horses raised in the United States are unfit for human consumption because the animals are frequently treated with drugs including phenylbutazone, acepromazine, and clenbuterol, which are considered unsafe under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and pose a “serious threat” to human health.

While S 1706 remains pending, its companion bill—HR 113—remains pending in the House