New legislation to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the state of Illinois was introduced Feb. 6, 2004, in the Illinois House of Representatives in the form of HB 6570. On Feb. 18, 2004, the bill was referred to the House Executive Committee. The legislation would also make it illegal to transport horses into or out of the state for slaughter.

The wording of the newly introduced bill, says an aide to Rep. Robert S. Molaro of Chi-cago, chief sponsor of the legislation, is basically the same as that for Senate Bill 1921 introduced earlier, which still remains in the House Rules Committee.

One of the goals of the legislation, according to statements from Molaro and bill supporters, is to prevent the Cavel International slaughter plant in DeKalb, Ill., from reopening. The original plant was destroyed by fire in March of 2002. James Tucker, comptroller for Belgian-owned Cavel International, says construction on the new plant is nearing completion, and it will open in early April. The capacity of the plant will be 100 horses per day.

The anti-slaughter legislation caused a clash between the Horsemen’s Council of Illinois, which opposes the bill, and industry associations, welfare groups, and animal rights groups that support it