Belgian-owned corporation Cavel International restarted its slaughter operations last June 9, 2004 in DeKalb, Illinois, after the legislation that would had banned the slaughter of horses in Illinois and prevented Cavel from reopening and operating its new horse slaughterhouse in DeKalb, Illinois, failed to pass the Illinois House of Representatives last May 28, 2004.

The bill, which passed the Senate with a strong support, was expected to pass, however, the powerful Cavel's lobby persuaded key Representatives to betray horses by changing their stance at the last moment.

However, efforts to make horse slaughter illegal in Illinois continue with the introduction on February 8, 2005 of H.B. 1171, a new bill that would outlaw the slaughter of horses in the State.

Pending Legislations, H.R. 503, H.R. 297, S. 576 and H.B. 1171
Although the reopening of Cavel supposed a hard blow in the fight to end horse slaughter in America, the war is not yet over. Currently, there are two legislations pending in Congress, both on the U.S. House of Representatives, whose passage is decisive to end horse slaughter in America.

H.R. 503, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act would ban the slaughter of horses and their exportation for the same purpose. more >>

H.R. 297. This legislation would repeal the Burns' Amendment, restoring the federal ban on the commercial sale and processing of wild horses Senator Burns removed from the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act. more >>

S. 576. This legislation is the Senate version of H.R. 297. S. 576 would restore the federal protection for wild horses removed from the WFHBA by the Burns' Amendment in the same way as H.R. 297. more >>

H.B. 1171. This state bill would outlaw the slaughter of horses for human consumption in Illinois as well as the exportation and importation of live horses for the same purpose. more >>

Cavel International Slaughterhouse
Cavel International is a horse slaughterhouse located in DeKalb, Illinois and owned by a Belgian meat corporation called Velda Group. It kills over 100 horses per day and send their meat to certain European and Asian countries, where it is considered a delicacy.

Cavel International, which closed on March 2002 after a fire destroyed its plant in DeKalb, officially reopened last June 9, 2004 in spite of strong nationwide opposition, joining Beltex and Dallas Crown, the other two horse slaughterhouses remaining in the United States, both located in Texas and also owned by Belgian and French corporations, respectively. Since then, 40,785 horses have been killed at the three plants.

There is litigation pending in federal court that would shut down the Texas plants since they are in defiance of State Law banning the trade and possession of horse meat for human consumption. Right now the two plants continue operating thanks to an temporary injunction granted by the Federal Judge that is taking care of the case. more >>

What you can do
The horse slaughter industry's powerful lobbyists are working very hard to defeat these legislations in Congress. Let us make sure that this does not happen.

Please contact your U.S. Representative and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 503 and H.R. 297. Contact as well the members of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce and the ones of the House Committee on Resources requesting them to cosponsor these bills and urging them to quickly bring the bills to public hearing. Also, contact your two US Senators and request them to cosponsor S. 576

Please contact the members of the Illinois State House Judiciary - Civil Law Committee and request that they vote in favor of H.B. 1171. Illinois residents should contact their local State Representatives and ask them to vote for the bill and to cosponsor it.

The best way to contact Representatives is by writing or faxing their district or Washington, D.C. offices. Please, start today. We need your help to put an end to the unnecessary practice of horse slaughter in America.

To find out who your Congressman is, visit Contacting Congress.

Illinois residents can visit the State Board of Elections to find out who their State Representatives are.

Information on H.R. 503, H.R. 297, S. 576 and H.B. 1171
National Horse Protection Coalition - Information on H.R. 503
National Horse Protection Coalition - Information on H.B. 1171
SAPL - Information on H.R. 503
SAPL - Information on H.R. 297 and S. 576
Wild Horse Preservation - Information on H.R. 297
Wild Horse Preservation - Information on S. 576

Take action to end horse slaughter
Join the Against Horse Slaughter Yahoo group to learn more about horse slaughter and how you can help.

You can also join us on the Habitat for Horses Members' Against Horse Slaughter forum.

Background information on horse slaughter
http://www.horse-protection.org
http://www.saplonline.org/horses.htm
http://www.justsaywhoa.org

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