Judge: Horse meat plant can reopen CHICAGO — The nation’s last horse-slaughtering plant can reopen while it challenges a state law that forced it to close twice in the last two months, a federal appeals court ruled. Slaughtering operations at the Cavel International Inc. plant in DeKalb had not resumed Thursday, but the plant “will be up and running soon,” said the company’s general manager, James Tucker. He said he had to rehire at least some of the 55 workers laid off during the last closure. The plant slaughters horses and ships meat to U.S. zoos and overseas for human consumption. In late May, Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law a measure banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption, or the import, export or possession of horse meat designated for human consumption. Forced to close, the plant reopened for several weeks in June under a federal judge’s order. It closed again when Judge Frederick J. Kapala decided against extending his order allowing the plant to operate while its appeal of the state law was pending. On Wednesday, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago granted Cavel’s request for an injunction prohibiting officials from enforcing the state law. In the brief ruling, the court said “irreparable harm” would come to Cavel if not allowed to resume operations while the appeal is pending.
Perhaps if I grew up eating horsemeat, I would think this normal and okay. But since I grew up thinking of horses as something more of a 'pet'....I can't think of eating it. And anyways, there are more than enough animals out there giving up their life for me to eat. I don't need to add one more.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Ya...well there are actual human beings out there that act more like animals than animals do and I surely would not be running them down for slaughter so I could feast on their flesh.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Horse slaughter plant loses appeal CHICAGO — A federal appeals court cited bans on bullfights and cockfights to help explain why it upheld an Illinois law prohibiting the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The ruling, issued Friday, could force the closure of the last horse slaughtering plant in the United States. “States have a legitimate interest in prolonging the lives of animals that their population happens to like,” a three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals wrote. “They can ban bullfi ghts and cockfights and the abuse and neglect of animals.” At Cavel International Inc.’s plant, located in the northern Illinois town of DeKalb, about 40,000 to 60,000 horses are slaughtered each year. Except for a portion sold to U.S. zoos, the meat is shipped to be eaten by diners overseas. The plant has been forced to close twice since late May, when Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law a measure banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption, or the import, export or possession of horse meat designated for human consumption. The plant was allowed to reopen during various challenges to the state law. It was not immediately clear if Cavel would appeal the latest ruling, or if it would shut its doors Friday night.
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