Some state lawmakers and horse enthusiasts are pushing to repeal the two-year-old ban on horse slaughtering.

House Bill 583 was presented on Feb. 9 by Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica, to repeal the ban.

Section 1.5 of the current Illinois Horse Meat Act states, “not withstanding any other provision of law, it is unlawful for any person to slaughter a horse if that person knows or should know that any of the horse meat will be used for human consumption.”

Sacia’s bill would “amend the Illinois Horse Meat Act, restore language that exempted certain types of horse meat from regulation under the Act and repeal a provision that prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption.”

Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, said he would support lifting the ban.

“I have certainly been supportive of the idea that horse owners ought to have a choice about how they handle their animals at the end of life,” Pritchard said, adding one of the reasons the bill was proposed is because of what has happened to unwanted horses.

“There’s a lot of people who have been very concerned about the mistreatment, malnourishment and about people turning their horses loose in forests and state parks,” he said. “They are certainly concerned about the shipment of horses, especially to Mexico.”

Donna Ewing, president and founder of Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, is particularly eager to see the ban lifted, especially with the economy the way it has been.

“I think it’s way overdue,” Ewing said. “I‘ve been getting calls from people everyday in tears, because they have lost their farms, can’t afford their horses or can’t afford the board.”

Ewing said she advises people who cannot afford their horses not to sell them at a sale where the animals would be transferred to either Mexico or Canada.

“They get slaughtered in the most cruel and hideous ways,” she said, adding she would rather see humane slaughtering than euthanasia, because euthanasia is costly and does not always kill the horse instantly.

“I think it’s the kindest thing we can do to the horses, and the horse people agonizing over having to give up their beloved horses,” she said.

If the ban were lifted, Pritchard said the owners of Cavel told him they would be interested in resuming business.

The slaughterhouse is currently being leased to a company that slaughters sheep and goats in accordance to Muslim dietary rules.

Regardless, Pritchard acknowledges there will be people opposed to the repeal.

“This is one of those issues that not everyone is going to agree on,” Pritchard said. “You have to do what hopefully gives people some responsible choices and options.”

Jordan Matyas, Illinois State Director for The Humane Society of the United States, is one of the people opposed to the repeal. The HSUS pushed to end horse slaughtering in Illinois two years ago.

“We’re very opposed to allowing it again,” Matyas said. “We’re going to do everything we can to make sure the bill does not pass.”