DeKALB | The U.S. District Court Judge Frederick Kapala ruled against Cavel International of DeKalb on July 5. Cavel, the final remaining American horse slaughterhouse for human consumption, gained national notoriety in recent years, even attracting film star Bo Derek to lobby against them to the Illinois Senate.

On May 24, Gov. Rod Blagoevitch signed into law a bill outlawing the slaughter of horses for human consumption and the possession, import or export of horse meat for human consumption.

Cavel, located in DeKalb since 1987, argued the state of Illinois was interfering with international commerce, unfairly protecting one species of farm animal over others, while doing nothing to actually secure humane treatment of horses. The following day their attorneys filed suit in U.S. District Court.

Judge Kapala presided over the first hearing of the case in Rockford on June 1, and granted Cavel a 14-day restraining order allowing it to resume operations while the case is being heard. He denied a request by The Humane Society of the United States to intervene on behalf of the defendant, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. At the following hearing, Kapala extended the restraining order until June 28.

June 19 The Humane Society appealed to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Kapala’s denial of its motion to intervene. Three days before Cavel’s restraining order was to end, Kapala issued a statement saying he lacked jurisdiction until the Circuit Court ruled on the HSUS’ appeal case. On June 28, Kapala denied a motion by Cavel’s attorneys for a stay allowing it to continue operation while the HSUS’ appeal was heard, shutting the slaughterhouse down.

On July 3, The Circuit Court ruled that Kapala had jurisdiction in the case and ordered him to enter a judgment, while denying Cavel’s motion for a stay to resume operations.

July 5 Kapala ruled in favor of the Attorney General’s office, saying in a written statement that the state has a legitimate interest in the humane treatment of animals and in the morality of its citizens.

“The General Assembly could have rationally concluded that because a horse is more agile and has a keener sense of wariness than more docile animals such as cattle, they are more difficult to kill in an orderly and methodical way in a slaughterhouse, and therefore, it is inhumane to slaughter a horse before its useful life as a companion, recreational or draft animal has come to an end,” Kapala wrote.

“While it is true that it is still lawful to slaughter healthy, useful horses for any reason other than for human consumption, that does not render the law incapable of rationally serving its purpose of reducing the practice.”

Cavel shipped horse meat to Europe for human consumption, while sending the animals other remains to be processed for use in fertilizers and glue. At the height of production in 2002, Cavel slaughtered an average 41 horses per day.

The plant employed 40 people, and produced close to $1.1 million annually in payroll tax revenue and paid an estimated $90,000 per year in property taxes to the city of DeKalb.