The allegations contained in the recent Washington Post article and PETA social media video concerning my business are untrue and were characterized to mislead and inflame public opinion. The facts are, I hold, and have held, a valid business license and a Georgia Department of Agriculture Stable license for ten years. My facilities are inspected by the State several times each year. I have had constant interaction with various members of the Lamar County Board of Commissioners over the years, and many of them have been out to my place of business from time to time. According to both the Lamar County Sheriff and the Towaliga Circuit District Attorney, my business been subject to investigation by their offices as well as the United States Department of Agriculture for at least eighteen months. My business has to be the most investigated, most closely scrutinized business in the history of Lamar County. Despite all of the scrutiny and investigations, by all of the myriad officials and agencies, no one connected to my business has ever been charged with a single criminal offense. PETA and the Washington Post are well known for aggressively pursuing their own political agendas. Both have recently been attacking the horse racing industry nation-wide. which is clearly reflected in their reporting and social media postings over the past several years. They cobbled together half-truths and flashes of gore to inflame and incite people. Their report and postings are neither accurate, nor reflective of my business or any of the activities on my property. If there was there was any truth to any of it, one or more of the many investigating officials or agencies would have certainly taken some official action. Horse racing is completely legal in Georgia. However, it is not regulated by the State. Contrary to what the Washington Post and PETA would have you believe. I do have rules (both posted and enforced) at my place of business. Unfortunately, on rare occasion accidents do happen. And sadly, some people will always try to cheat at sport to get an advantage. We do police these things and try to stop them. I have been in the large animal business most of my life. My father and grandfather were cattlemen on this same property. I grew up on a farm with cattle. I love animals and don’t condone the abuse or neglect of any animal. When we find a safety issue, we fix it. When we catch a bad actor, we show him or her the door. PETA and the Washington Post have an agenda, and they want you to buy into what they are selling. Their work was intentionally designed to repulse and enrage the reader/viewer, and to get people angry before they could think about, or even question, what was being fed to them. They have an agenda, and they fed you what they wanted to get the reaction they wanted. Please understand, what was contained in their work was not accurate or correct, and it certainly was not representative of my business or it’s practices. Arthur H. English IV Owner, Rancho El Centenario LLC |
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