A lot of things are changing in the horse slaughter world of North Texas. Lawsuits are being filed, wild accusations are being thrown back and forth, and the US Congress is finally taking notice that all isn’t right in the export meat business. To bring you up to date…

Horse Slaughter Companies Sue - Stop D.A.’s from enforcing Texas horse meat ban

It’s long been thought that federal law overruled the enforcement of a Texas law preventing the slaughter of horses. In August a decision by the Texas Attorney General stated that the Texas law may be prosecuted. Currently, Kaufman and Tarrant County DA’s in Texas are both actively pursuing the enforcement of this law.

This finally got the attention of BelTex and Dallas Crown, the two of the three remaining horse slaughterhouses in the US, and the slaughterhouse in Mexico that uses US roads and ports to ship horsemeat overseas. They jointly filed suit in the US District Court to stop the enforcement of the law.

To quote the DA’s office, “Our office intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit. For over 50 years, the Texas Legislature has had a law on the books that bans the sale of horse meat for human consumption. We will defend the right of Texas to continue to have such a ban, not only on the books but in practice. We will fight to protect the ability of Texas D.A.’s to enforce the ban as written by the Legislature and as declared by the Texas Attorney General. We will conduct this fight vigorously and in accordance with the rules that govern federal lawsuits.”

Read the DA's press release >>

Details of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit features some interesting points, mostly involving NAFTA. Other arguments made by them are… well… . Perhaps it’s best if you read some of them.

“Horses sent for slaughter are typically older, neglected, displaced or retired animals no longer useful for saddle, ranch, recreation, breeding or racing activities.”

“Those who purchase horses and transport them to slaughterhouses are subject to extensive federal regulation. “

“Like cattle, the horses are killed using humane methods, as required by the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, 7 U.S.C. ' 1901 et. seq., with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors on site during all operating hours”

“Numerous organizations or persons will be irreparably injured if the Plaintiffs are not permitted to process horsemeat.”

“Those who presently oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption seek to protect the public solely from the possible offensiveness that might arise from foreigners eating horsemeat,…”

“Based on the submissions to the Attorney General, those who seek enforcement against Plaintiffs of Chapter 149 appear to fall into two groups. The first group consists of those who view horses like pets, to whom the thought of eating horsemeat is repugnant. The second group consists of those whose feelings of revulsion at the slaughter of animals covers a broader range of animals, what some call animal rights advocates.”

“When the personal moral convictions of a vocal segment of the community are elevated to a status where those who disagree are legislated into criminality, First Amendment concerns about establishment of religion and freedom of belief are implicated. “

Read the actual lawsuit >>

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