(US - Tx) horse slaughter news advisory

[Mary Finelli]

Texas Humane Legislation Network News Advisory
For Immediate Release:  May 2, 2003
For more information contact:  Cile Holloway, THLN President
(972) 668-9962 or (214) 537-3531



Texas Horses Served on a Platter to Wealthy French Diners

Legislation Approved by Texas House Now Moves to Senate

America's relationship with France may be strained, but one thing hasn't 
changed.  Texas horses, by the thousands, are being slaughtered and shipped 
to France to satisfy the palates of wealthy French diners.

Only two horse slaughter plants exist in the United States today.  Both are 
in Texas, both are foreign owned (one French) and both are operating in 
violation of a Texas law that prohibits the process or sell of horse meat 
for human consumption.

"In Texas, we ride our horses, we don't eat them," said State Rep. Steve 
Wolens (D-Dallas) who spoke on the House floor in opposition to House Bill 
1324, the bill to legalize horse slaughter for human consumption.  "I think 
the majority of Texans would agree it's reprehensible to slaughter our 
horses for French cuisine."

As attorney general of  Texas, John Cornyn, now a U.S. senator, ruled in 
August 2002 that the two horse slaughter plants, French-owned Dallas Crown 
in Kaufman and Belgian-owned Beltex in Fort Worth, were operating illegally 
and must shut down or face prosecution.

To stall prosecution, the two plants filed suit in federal court to stop the 
enforcement of Texas law and were granted a temporary injunction just last 
month. The horse slaughter plants scored their second victory when HB 1324 
passed in the Texas House by a vote of 81 to 55 and will be heard in a 
Senate committee hearing as early as next week.

If HB 1324 becomes law, it will override current law to make horse slaughter 
for human consumption a crime only if the consumption occurs in the United 
States.  These two plants slaughter live horses, process their meat, and 
ship it to France, Belgium, Germany and Japan for human consumption in these 
countries.

Proponents of HB 1324 claim the vast majority of the horses slaughtered are 
old, sick or lame. But in reality, the majority of horses sent to slaughter 
are young, healthy horses bought by "killer buyers" who attend horse 
auctions where they compete with families and other horse brokers looking 
for good, sound horses.   A French horse meat butcher was quoted as saying 
"I only buy American meat, which is red and firm.  In butchering terms, we 
call it "well structured," the best you can get."

State Rep. Toby Goodman (R-Arlington) called for an amendment to HB 1324 
that would require a horse be certified unfit by a veterinarian before it 
could be slaughtered.  "If only old, sick or lame horses are going to 
slaughter, why did the bill sponsor object so strongly to this amendment?" 
he questioned.

Proponents of HB 1324 claim that horse slaughter provides a convenient and 
humane way of disposing of unwanted horses, and some have tried to equate it 
with euthanasia.

Christopher J. Heyde, policy analyst for the Society for Animal Protective 
Legislation, said that horse slaughter is not humane, adding "to claim that 
slaughter and euthanasia are similar is irresponsible and false.  The 
animals are not always stunned properly, nor do they necessarily remain 
unconscious until death."

"I've visited a horse slaughter facility during the slaughter process and I 
can assure you that the fear and anticipation experienced by these horses is 
unimaginable.  You could smell the fear and see the panic.  The slaughter 
process inflicts immeasurable suffering and cruelty on the horses," said 
Heyde.

Proponents also claim if these two Texas plants close, horses will be 
transported to Mexico. However, after California banned horse slaughter in 
1998, horse industry experts say they have lost only an estimated 1,000 
horses to Mexico over the past five years.  More than 42,000 horses were 
slaughtered alive in these two Texas plants just last year.

(If you would like a video cassette on horse slaughter, please contact Susan 
Hendrix at (512) 476-3377.)





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