Federal Wild Horse Program Costs vs. Public Lands Grazing Expenses

Washington, DC – February 7, 2014– The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (FS) have announced that American taxpayers will again shoulder the burden of government handouts to privatelivestockoperators who graze cattle and sheep on public lands. The federal government announced that the grossly below market grazing fee of only $1.35 per animal unit month (AUM) will continue for 2014. This is approximately 1/12ththe market rate for grazinglivestockon private land in the West.[1]

Livestockgrazing on federal lands is estimated to cost taxpayers from $500 million to over $1 billion annually for total direct and indirect costs.[2]Yet the BLM and FS consistently maintain the grazing rates at the lowest rate allowable under federal law, $1.35 per AUM, generating less than $25 million in revenues to these agencies annually. Meanwhile,public landsgrazing accounts for less than 1% of U.S. cattle and sheep sales.

“While theBLMand its ranching allies consistently complain about the $75-million federal wild horse program, they have no problem with the incredibly costlypublic landsgrazing program, which operates deeply in the red every year,” said Deniz Bolbol of the American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation).

“During these precarious financial and environmental times, the federallivestockgrazing program is clearly not sustainable nor is it supported by the public,” Bolbol continued.

Recent polls highlight that while72% of public support protecting wild horses and burros on public lands, only29% of Americans want to ensure that public lands are reserved for livestock grazing.

According to AWHC, wild horses are removed by the thousands from westernpublic landsto make room for massivelivestockgrazing. The BLM allocates over 85% of forage in wild horse and burro Herd Management Areas to privately ownedlivestock, and less than 18% to federally protected wild horses as reported in asurvey of 50 HMAs.

The formula used for calculating the grazing fee, which was established byCongressin the 1978 Public Rangelands Improvement Act, has continued under a presidential Executive Order issued in 1986. Under that order, the grazing fee cannot fall below $1.35 per AUM, and any increase or decrease cannot exceed 25 percent of the previous year’s level. For the last eight years, the grazing fee has remained at the lowest level allowed under law.

The American Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Preservation)(AWHC) is a coalition of more than 60 horse advocacy, public interest, and conservation organizations dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. AWHC’s founding organization,Return to Freedom(RTF), a national non-profit dedicated to wild horse preservation through sanctuary, education and conservation, also operates the American Wild Horse Sanctuary in Lompoc, CA.

[1] According to theCongressional Research Service Report, "The average monthly lease rate for grazing on private lands in 11 western states in 2011 was $16.80 per head."

[2] Ibid.