Horse Slaughter To Be Banned February 1, 2006 ( For one year )

Both houses of Congress approved identical provisions this October that
would bar the Agriculture Department from inspecting horse meat, effectively
banning the sale of such meat for human consumption. This provision
provides momentum for legislation that will make the horse slaughter ban
permanent.
About 65,000 horses are slaughtered each year in the U.S. to be made into
food for humans. Texas and Illinois are the only two states that slaugher
horses, which are processed for human consumption overseas. Texas law
dating to 1949 has banned the slaughter of horses for consumption but
operators of the slaughterhouses have argued that the law does not apply to
them because they are selling the meat in France, Belgium and other
countries and they are regulated by federal interstate commerce laws. A
federal judge ruled in favor of the slaughterhouse plants and prohibited
authorities from shutting them down.
The effort to ban horse slaughter drew new momentum after 41 wild horses
were killed at the Illinois packing plant under a new law allowing the
government to sell horses and burros roaming free on public lands in the
western states.
For further information go to www.AHDF.org American Horse Defense Fund.