Post by Admin on Jun 17, 2008 11:52:19 GMT -5
Supreme Court decision ends US horse slaughter
22 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Supreme Court Monday refused to hear an appeal by the last US horse abattoir against its forced closure, despite claims that American horse meat is greatly valued in Europe.
Until last year, there were three horse abattoirs in the United States -- two in Texas and one in Illinois. But they closed after both states, under pressure from animal rights groups, passed laws banning killing horses for human consumption.
The Illinois slaughterhouse, run by Cavel International, an affiliate of a Belgian company, had employed about 60 people and killed between 40,000 and 60,000 horses each year, with annual revenues of 20 million dollars.
Cavel had fought the ban, arguing that since almost all of its meat was exported to Europe and Japan, the Illinois law encroached on federal regulations on international commerce.
But an appeals court rejected Cavel's argument in September, saying the company had failed to show that stopping its operations risked affecting the global horse meat market.
On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case any further appeal.
Cavel's appeal had received backing from Belgium, which told the court, "American horse meat is considered by consumers in Belgium and elsewhere in the EU to be of the highest quality and distinguishable from horse meat produced from other nations."
22 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US Supreme Court Monday refused to hear an appeal by the last US horse abattoir against its forced closure, despite claims that American horse meat is greatly valued in Europe.
Until last year, there were three horse abattoirs in the United States -- two in Texas and one in Illinois. But they closed after both states, under pressure from animal rights groups, passed laws banning killing horses for human consumption.
The Illinois slaughterhouse, run by Cavel International, an affiliate of a Belgian company, had employed about 60 people and killed between 40,000 and 60,000 horses each year, with annual revenues of 20 million dollars.
Cavel had fought the ban, arguing that since almost all of its meat was exported to Europe and Japan, the Illinois law encroached on federal regulations on international commerce.
But an appeals court rejected Cavel's argument in September, saying the company had failed to show that stopping its operations risked affecting the global horse meat market.
On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case any further appeal.
Cavel's appeal had received backing from Belgium, which told the court, "American horse meat is considered by consumers in Belgium and elsewhere in the EU to be of the highest quality and distinguishable from horse meat produced from other nations."
