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Judge allows Illinois horse slaughter plant to reopen temporariROCKFORD, Illinois (AP)--A federal judge June 1 allowed the last horse slaughtering plant in America to resume operations temporarily while it challenges a state law that forced it to close last week. Belgian-owned Cavel International Inc., which shipped horse meat to Europe, filed a lawsuit May 25 claiming a new law banning the slaughter of horses intended for human consumption is unconstitutional. Two other horse slaughter plants in Texas were shut down this year. American horse meat is sold mostly in France, Belgium and Japan, where it is considered a delicacy. U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Kapala June 1 granted a temporary restraining order that prevents state and DeKalb County officials from enforcing the ban while the suit is considered. The DeKalb plant operated legally for 20 years. It closed twice this year over the horse meat issue, first temporarily in March after a federal court said plant inspections were being improperly funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and then again in late May after Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed a law banning the import, export, possession and slaughter of horses intended for human consumption. The company claims the state has no constitutional authority to ban the slaughter of a particular species because some people object on moral grounds. The suit also says the law would restrain interstate and international commerce and infringe on federal authority over slaughterhouses. The June 1 ruling noted that the company has laid off 54 of its 63 workers and lost more than $350,000 (euro260,494) in revenue since the law went into effect. The restraining order expires after June 14. Hearings in the case are scheduled for June 12 and 14. Date: 6/6/07
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