Tuesday’s Horse

By VIVIAN GRANT

Committee stops horse slaughter bill

ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SPRINGFIELD — A House committee Wednesday [March 5, 2008] put a stop to a local lawmaker’s push to reopen the DeKalb horse slaughterhouse.

The committee voted 5-2 to stop the bill from moving forward. Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica, the bill’s sponsor, said he will try again next year.

Sacia told the committee it needs to be reopened because horses now are being taken to slaughter in Mexico, where conditions are inhumane. If the DeKalb slaughterhouse was still open, the conditions could be at least controlled, he argued.

He also said horses are being neglected or abused is rising because people have nowhere to take horses they cannot keep.

Four committee members voted “present,” or stayed neutral, saying they wanted to see evidence of increased horse abuse before deciding.

The move to reinstate horse slaughter for human consumption was attempted with House Amendment No. 1 to HB4489, the Humane Transport of Horses bill, which:

Amends the Illinois Horse Meat Act to repeal a Section added by Public Act 95-2 that makes it unlawful to slaughter a horse if the meat is to be used for human consumption.

The Humane Transport of Horses bill amends the Humane Care of Animals Act and makes it unlawful to transport equines in double decker trailers.

Update: HB4489 proceeds without the amendment, and was re-referred to the House Rules Committee on March 14, 2008.

Source: See ilga.gov

Related Reading: Horse abuse debate could heat up again, by Andrea Zimmerman, Rockford Register Star, Feb. 24, 2008.