Last U.S. Horse Slaughterhouse Remains Open

In a 2-1 vote the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has rule that the only remaining horse slaughterhouse in the nation can remain open, at least temporarily.

The court ruled that DeKalb, Illinois-based Cavel International, could continue to butcher horses for sale to overseas markets while it considers Cavel's appeal to an order issued by a U.S. District Judge shutting them down.

In 2006, Congress acted to end the commercial slaughtering of horses by adding an amendment to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill cutting off federal funding for USDA inspections at the nation's three remaining horse slaughterhouses. Two of the slaughterhouses, both in Texas, closed down, but Cavel remained open by paying the USDA out of its own budget to continue providing inspection and certification services. In April, a U.S. District Judge ruled Cavel's arrangement with the USDA illegal.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Belgian-owned Cavel plant slaughters about 1000 horses a week, exporting the meat mainly to Europe. As the court ponders its ultimate fate, Cavel remains the only facility in the U.S. still processing horse meat for human consumption.

Congress is currently debating a bill amending the Horse Protection Act to permanently ban the slaughtering of horses for human consumption. The bill, S. 311, cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on April 25.

Also See:
Should the Slaughter of Horses Be Banned? (Environment)
Get a Horse! And Make it a Wild One
Wyoming Wild Horse Herd Faces Starvation