A Good Day for Horses

Horses destined for inhumane slaughter in the U.S. can now breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to a recent ruling in a federal appeals court. According to this story in the Northern Star, a federal appeals court Wednesday ruled that the USDA can no longer inspect horse meat for a fee. Because animal flesh sold for human consumption abroad must be inspected by a USDA inspector, the court ruling may mean that the few remaining horse-slaughtering plants in the U.S.—including Cavel International in DeKalb, IL—may have to close up shop. Since the ruling prevents Cavel from inspecting any new horses for slaughter, the plant will have to halt operations after slaughtering the already inspected horses.

A previous post on the "Horse Slaughter Bill" (H.R. 503), a bill designed to ban horse slaughter in the U.S., is available here. A detailed exchange concerning the ethics of eating horses, including several posts by me, can be read here. Other victories by animal protection advocates and their impacts are discussed here.