DeKALB | A bill against horse slaughtering is shaking things up on not only Capitol Hill, but also in DeKalb.

House Resolution 503 would prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption and for other purposes.

The bill, which was passed Thursday in the House, will have a large impact on DeKalb, home to one of only three horse slaughterhouses in the country.

If the plant is forced to close down, it will affect the city in a couple of ways, said Mayor Frank Van Buer.

“There are people who are going to be unemployed,” he said. “Also, this means that when it closes down, something else would need to go in there, to keep up property taxes. The property tax base is mainly for schools.”

While the property taxes may have a positive effect on area schools, DeKalb does not have power over whether the plant will have to shut down, Van Buer said.

“The city doesn’t really have any control over [the plant’s status],” he said. “It’s controlled at the state and federal level.”

The slaughterhouse, owned by the Belgian company Cavel International, has been in operation since 1987.

“Cavel’s gross sales exceed $48 million a year, but that money goes to Belgium,” said associate philosophy professor Mylan Engel. “It does not stay in DeKalb.”

The two other horse slaughterhouses, both in Texas, are owned by Belgian and French companies.

“Cavel employs between 40 and 56 people, most of whom are employed in relatively low-paying slaughter-related jobs,” Engel said.

The plant kills about 100 horses per day, which are then sent to European and Asian countries.

Local officials have varying viewpoints on the bill and its associations.

“This is the land of freedom and opportunity,” said State Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley). “We should give people freedom to do what they like with their animals. It’s all about giving owners choices.”

John Laesch, Democratic candidate for representative of the 14th district, is opposed to horse slaughtering.

“I would support any bill against horse slaughtering,” Laesch said. “I know Hastert didn’t vote for it.”

The bill will next be voted upon by the Senate, where it will have at least one supporter in Senator Barack Obama.

“He would vote for the bill,” said Obama’s press secretary Tommy Vietor.

DeKalb residents have mixed reactions about horse slaughtering and its effects. Some residents feel that unless the community is directly affected negatively, the plant should not be forced to close.

“[Those who run and work at the plant] should be able to maintain their business there and make a living just like anyone else,” said DeKalb resident Bonnie Walker.

Many others did not know of the bill, or were indifferent toward the topic.

“I don’t care,” said DeKalb resident Dave Petesch. “If people want to eat horses, let them eat horses.”

Others feel it is an unsanitary and inhumane practice and should not be continued, in DeKalb or anywhere else.

“I don’t want [horses being slaughtered] anywhere people can be affected,” said DeKalb resident Char Riippi. “I personally have an immune problem.”

H.R. 503 aims to replace the current Horse Protection Act, which only cut off salaries and spending for federal inspectors to examine slaughterhouses.

Caitlin Mullen is a City Reporter for the Northern Star.