Horse-slaughter bill stirs debate

WASHINGTON – Scores of animal rights activists and horse lovers, including the family of country music legend Willie Nelson, rallied near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday in support of legislation to outlaw three U.S. plants that slaughter horses for overseas consumption.

At the same time, opponents of the legislation, which the House will consider later this week, reiterated arguments that the bill could undermine the humane disposal of unwanted horses and vowed to lobby aggressively against the measure in advance of Thursday’s showdown vote.

“I’ll stack our stars against their stars any day,” said former Texas Rep. Charles Stenholm, scoffing at the dozens of celebrity endorsements for the bill. “We believe the vote is going to be very, very close.”

The bill, co-sponsored by more than 200 of the 435 members of the House, would shut down packing plants in Fort Worth, Texas; Kaufman, Texas; and DeKalb, Ill. The plants, which have a total employment of a little more than 200, slaughtered more than 90,000 horses in 2005, largely for distribution to parts of Europe and Japan, where horsemeat is considered a delicacy.

As lawmakers returned from a monthlong summer recess, both sides went on the offensive in search of wavering votes. Supporters of the legislation acknowledged that opponents have gained momentum by portraying the bill as a private property intrusion that would deprive horse owners of a legal way to dispose of old or ailing horses.

Both camps claim hundreds of supporters, with veterinarians and prominent horse groups arrayed on both sides of the debate. Both sides also portray themselves as impassioned defenders of horses, though with colliding perspectives.

Dick Koehler, vice president of the Dutch-owned Beltex Corp. plant in Fort Worth, defended the industry in a telephone interview and said passage of the bill would be “very detrimental to horses in general.” Opponents of the bill contend older or ailing horses would suffer and their owners would be forced to pay for their feed and boarding if the slaughterhouses were closed.

“We think a lot of our animals and we follow the rules,” he said. “If you do that, you should be able to stay in business.”

Nelson, who publicly embraced the bill several weeks ago, was performing in California but dispatched his ex-wife, Connie Nelson, daughters Amy Nelson and Paula Nelson, and a granddaughter, Raelyn Nelson.

“He sent us here because he couldn’t be here,” said Connie Nelson, who lives in Austin, Texas. “Had he not been performing, he’d have been here.”

Amy Nelson, who followed her father into music and performs in Nashville, said the family shares her father’s love of horses and was stunned to learn about the horse-slaughter industry.

“I didn’t think that was something that went on in our country,” she said.

Supporters of the bill gathered across the street from the Capitol, displaying signs reading, “Horse slaughter is not euthanasia” and “American icon – not foreign delicacy.” Many sported straw cowboy hats distributed by rally organizers.