050607 House Passes Bill Aimed At Horse Meat Plants

Washington - Two plants in North Texas that slaughter horses and sell the meat overseas could be shut down under an amendment to an agriculture bill that has cleared the U.S. House.

The legislation would bar the U.S. Department of Agriculture from inspecting horses intended for slaughter and stop approval at the borders for the shipment of horses bound for butchering.

The bill passed the House on Wednesday and awaits Senate action.

The Texas horse meat plants are Dallas Crown in Kaufman, a small town southeast of Dallas, and Beltex Corp. in Fort Worth.

The only other such plant in the United States is Cavel International in DeKalb, Ill.

Each year, about 65,000 horses, the vast majority at the Texas plants, are slaughtered in the United States for human consumption in Europe and Asia.

Another 30,000 are trucked to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, according to Rep. Mike Sweeney, R- N.Y., who wrote the amendment.

His district includes the famed Saratoga Race Course, which every August attracts equestrian aficionados and many of the country's leading thoroughbred owners and breeders.

Fort Worth attorney John Linebarger, who represents the two Texas facilities, said he hoped the Senate will reject the amendment.

Otherwise, Linebarger said, "these places are out of business."

Dallas Crown is a Belgian-owned company with about 60 employees in Texas. Kaufman authorities have accused Dallas Crown of repeated environmental violations.

Beltex employs about 110 workers and is owned by Danish and Belgian shareholders.

"It's not the most desirable job in the world," Linebarger said, "but these are probably minimum-wage earners in other industries and they are making $10 to $12 an hour with health benefits. It's a very emotional issue for people all around."

The Texas delegation was split on the issue.

A bipartisan group of 19 members voted against the amendment, 12 voted for it and one did not vote.

Houston Democrats Al Green and Gene Green and Republican Ted Poe voted for it.

Republicans Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, Kevin Brady of The Woodlands and John Culberson of Houston voted against.

Houston Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee did not vote.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, supported the ban, saying he couldn't see how he would explain it to his five young children if he did otherwise.

McCaul also noted that movie star and horse lover Bo Derek thanked him for his vote during her trip to Washington to lobby members of Congress.

Derek is a spokeswoman for the National Horse Protection Coalition.

For Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, the vote was simple.

"Horses have a special place in our heritage," she said. "They are beloved companions to millions today. They deserve better than to be hoisted by a rear leg, cut with a long blade, and bled out for the purpose of being served to foreign gourmands."

Critics of the legislation, including Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, said the ban will burden localities and animal shelters.

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