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Horse Slaughter - Related Statutes

Statute Name	Citation	Summary
CA - Burro - � 4600. Killing or capturing undomesticated burro; prima facie evidence	CA FISH & G � 4600	This section makes it unlawful to kill, wound, capture, or have in possession any undomesticated burro. An undomesticated burro is a wild burro or a burro which has not been tamed or domesticated for a period of three years after its capture.
CA - Horse slaughter - � 597o. Humane transportation of equine to slaughter; vehicle requirements; segregation of animals; violations	CA PENAL � 597o	This statute outlines the requirements for transporting equine to slaughter, including, but limited to, proper ventilation, sufficient space for equine to stand, and the use of ramps and floors with nonskid surfaces.
CA - Horse slaughter - � 598c. Horse slaughter for human consumption	CA PENAL � 598c	This statute makes it unlawful to possess, to import into or export from the state, or to sell, buy, give away, hold, or accept any equine with the intent of killing it for the purpose of human consumption. Violations could result in a felony conviction with a prison sentence of up to three years.
CA - Horse slaughter - � 598d. Sale of horsemeat for human consumption	CA PENAL � 598d	This statute prohibits the sale of horsemeat for human consumption. No restaurant, cafe, or other public eating place may offer horsemeat for sale for human consumption. A first time violation is a misdemeanor.
FL - Horse Slaughter - Chapter 828. Animals: Cruelty; Sales; Animal Enterprise Protection.	FL ST � 828.125	Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed this amendment into law on May 17, 2010 making it a second-degree felony for any person to willfully and unlawfully, by any means whatsoever, kill, maim, mutilate, or cause great bodily harm or permanent breeding disability to any animal of the genus Equus (horse). Any person who commits a violation of this subsection shall be sentenced to a minimum mandatory fine of $3,500 and a minimum mandatory period of incarceration of 1 year.
IL - Horse Meat Act - Chapter 225. Professions and Occupations.	225 ILCS 635/1 - 1.5	This Act prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption as well as importing, exporting, selling, giving, or even possessing horse meat if a person knows or should know that it will be used for human consumption. Violation of this section of the Act is a Class C misdemeanor. The Act does contain several exceptions. Notably, it does not apply to any commonly accepted noncommercial, recreational, or sporting activities.
MS - Horses - Slaughter (Chapter 33. Meat, Meat-Food and Poultry Regulation and Inspection. Article 1. Meat, Meat-Food and Poultry Regulation and Inspection Law of 1960)	Miss. Code Ann. � 75-33-3	Construes the phrase "unfit for human consumption" in the very broad Mississippi Meat Inspection Act of 1960 to apply to horse meat and meat-food products.
MT - Horse Slaughter - Chapter 9. Slaughter.	MT ST 81-9-240	This Montana statute limits the ability of a court to issue an injunction aimed at delaying or stopping the construction of an equine slaughter or processing facility. Additionally, the law provides that if a person files an action against the operation of an equine slaughter or processing facility and does not prevail, the person is liable for all financial losses the facility suffers if the court issues an injunction that halts operations while the action is pending.
OK - Horse - Slaughter (Public Health Code. Article 11. Food. D. Horsemeat)	63 Okl.St.Ann. � 1-1135 - 1139	It is unlawful to sell horsemeat for human consumption or to possess horsemeat with the intent to sell it for human consumption. It is also unlawful to transfer horsemeat when the person transferring the horsemeat knows or reasonably should know that the person receiving the meat intends to sell the meat for human consumption. The statute also identifies certain circumstances, such as the presence of horsemeat in a restaurant or cafe, as prima facie evidence of an intent to sell horsemeat for human consumption.
TX - Horse - Sale of Horsemeat (Chapter 149. Sale of Horsemeat for Human Consumption)	TX AGRIC � 149.001 - 007	These statutes prohibit the sale of horsemeat, the possession of horsemeat with the intent to sell, and the knowing transfer of horsemeat to a person who intends to sell it for human consumption. Horsemeat is defined as the flesh of an animal of the genus equus. Prima facie evidence of an offense is prescribed by these statues and includes, for example, the presence of horsemeat in a restaurant or cafe. The penalty for an offense may be a fine of up to a $1,000, confinement for not less than 30 days and not more than two years, or both a fine and confinement.
WY - Horses - � 11-30-115. Unlawful killing of wild horses	WY ST � 11-30-115	This Wyoming statute provides that it is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $750 with possible imprisonment of up to six months to maliciously kill a "wild horse" (one that is unbranded and unclaimed and lives on state or public land). This was signed into law in March of 2001.