Schakowsky Applauds Courts Decision on Horse Slaughter

SCHAKOWSKY APPLAUDS COURTS DECISION ON HORSE SLAUGHTER

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today in response to the federal appeals court's decision today to uphold an Illinois law to ban horse slaughter. The Cavel International Horse Slaughter plant in Dekalb, Illinois was allowed to continue to operate during the appeals process.

"Today's federal appeals court decision to uphold an Illinois law to ban horse slaughter for human consumption is a huge victory for animal welfare advocates. Instead of continuing to challenge this law, the Cavel plant should accept the court's ruling and permanently cease operation. More than a 1,000 horses a week will be saved if Cavel decides not to appeal this latest decision.

I hope that today's decision will also inspire Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. My bill would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and prohibit the export of horses for slaughter abroad. We need to set a federal standard to eliminate the need for individual state bans and protracted legal battles. I urge my colleagues in Congress to follow Illinois' lead by passing my bill and getting it signed into law....