Horse slaughter

Horse slaughter is the practice of slaughtering horses for meat (to be consumed by humans).

Equine Slaughter in the United States can be defined as the butchering of horses, ponies, and burros for human consumption. These animals come from auctions, private sellers, and from wild herds. Sometimes these horses are sick and injured but they can also just be for sale by their owners. Most are brought to the slaughterhouses by contract buyers who collect horses from all across the country, also known as kill buyers.

In the United States there are three major slaughter plants: Dallas Crown, Inc. in Kaufman, Texas; Beltex Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas; and Cavel International, Inc. in DeKalb, Illinois. The meat that comes out of these plants is shipped to other countries, mainly Europe and Japan, where horse meat is a delicacy. As prominently stated on their website, Dallas Crown "provides Carnivore Diet for zoos and wildlife centers across the United States".[1]

Many people do not agree with the slaughter of horses, perceiving horses as companion animals like cat and dogs, or deserving special status like sacred cows.[2][3] Many horsemen do not consider horses to be meat, but rather athletes. Sale and consumption of horsemeat is illegal in Illinois[4] and California.

Controversy in the United States

Since the human consumption of horse meat is generally considered unacceptable by the majority of the populace (see Taboo food and drink) and is illegal in several states, most of the horses slaughtered for this purpose in the United States are exported to other countries, such as France, Belgium and Japan, where the meat is considered a delicacy.[5] The slaughterhouses export approximately $42,000,000 worth of horsemeat per year.

There are 200 organizations that oppose the proposed ban on horse slaughter. Included in the group opposing the ban on horse slaughter are the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), which is the largest breed association in the world; the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP); the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA); and numerous animal agriculture groups.

Included in the animal agriculture groups are organizations representing the interests of traditional food animal industries, such as cattle, sheep, and pork, who are concerned that banning any animal for slaughter will lead to endangering their industries.

There are over 500 organizations such as the Society for Animal Protective Legislation and Sterling Silver Farm Equine Rescue at www.ssfer.org, that support the abolishment of horse slaughter. The Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industry strongly opposes horse slaughter. Other equine organizations in favor of the slaughter ban are the National Show Horse Registry, National Steeplechase Association, Inc., Palomino Horse Association, Int., and United States Eventing Association. Many equine adoption and rescue groups also oppose slaughter for human consumption.

Horses in the United States are not raised or treated as meat. Almost all equine medications and treatments are labeled "not for horses intended for human consumption." In the European Union, horses intended for slaughter cannot be treated with many medications commonly used for U.S. horses.

The transportation of horses to slaughter is another point of contention. Even though there are US Department of Agriculture (USDA) laws governing the transportation of horses to processing plants, USDA does not have officers at the enforcement points. The Department of Transportation does, but has no jurisdiction. Horses that are severely lame or disabled are not accepted at the plants. Haulers are supposed to be fined for horses that arrive with any sign of abuse.

Currently, there are three slaughterhouses in operation in the United States. Two in Texas: Dallas Crown in Kaufman and Beltex in Fort Worth. The other facility, Cavel International, is located in DeKalb, Illinois. All three slaughterhouses are Belgian owned, although Multimeat NW has also been listed as French and Dutch owned. Velda NV owns Cavel, Multimeat NV owns Beltex and Chevideco owns Dallas Crown

Legislation

Two bills, H.R. 503 in the House and S. 1915 in the Senate, were introduced last session to prevent the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the United States. H.R. 503 was passed in the House on September 7, 2006. The bill was anonymously blocked from a vote in the Senate, so both bills died at the end of the session. H.R. 503 and S. 311 were introduced January 17, 2007. The text of the bill reads:

A bill to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes.

A separate bill ensures that none of America's wild mustangs are sent to slaughter.

On January 19, 2007, the Fifth Circuit court of appeals upheld Texas legislation that would effectively ban the production and sale of any horse meat product for human consumption. Empacadora de Carnes et. al v. Curry. This will eliminate the industry in Texas, knocking 2 of the 3 U.S. plants out of the horsemeat business (the third being in Illinois).[6]

On February 22, 2007, Rep. Robert Molaro introduced a bill, HB1711, to the Illinois General Assembly to prohibit the transportation of horses into the State for the sole purpose of slaughter for human consumption.

Judicial Ruling

On January 19, 2007, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturned a lower court's 2006 ruling on a 1949 Texas law that banned horse slaughter for the purpose of selling the meat for food.

The lower court said the Texas law was invalid because it had been repealed by another statute and was pre-empted by federal law.

However, a panel of three judges on the 5th Circuit disagreed, saying the law still stood and was still enforceable.

The Texas slaughterhouses are considering asking for a full hearing of the district court or petitioning the Supreme Court.

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