Illinois House Bill 1711

Signed by Governor Rod R. Blagojevich

“It’s past time to stop slaughtering horses in Illinois and sending their meat overseas. I’m proud to sign this law that finally puts an end to this practice,” -

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich

IL Horse Meat Act

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IL HB 1171 repealed, amended and changed several sections of Illinois law regarding horses including requirements for Equine Infectious Anemia, EIA testing, regulations regarding storage, handling, shipping of horse meat, laws regarding the selling of sick, lame, and debilitated horses, and prohibiting the slaughter of horses in Illinois.

Listed below is the IL HB 1171 and the IL Horse Meat Act .

IL HB 1171 of 2007 - Signed into law on May 24, 2007 becoming Public Act 095-0002

AN ACT concerning horses.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Horse Meat Act is amended by adding Section 1.5 as follows:
(225 ILCS 635/1.5 new)
Sec. 1.5. Slaughter for human consumption unlawful.

(a) Notwithstanding 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.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it is unlawful for any person to possess, to import into or export from this State, or to sell, buy, give away, hold, or accept any horse meat if that person knows or should know that the horse meat will be used for human consumption.

(c) Any person who knowingly violates any of the provisions of this Section is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor.

(d) This Section shall not apply to:

(1) Any commonly accepted noncommercial, recreational, or sporting activity.

(2) Any existing laws which relate to horse taxes or zoning. (3)

The processing of food producing animals other than those of the equine genus.

(225 ILCS 635/14 rep.) (from Ch. 56 1/2, par. 253)

Section 7. The Illinois Horse Meat Act is amended by repealing Section 14.

Section 10. The Animals Intended for Food Act is amended by changing Section 2.1 as follows:

(410 ILCS 605/2.1) (from Ch. 8, par. 107.1)

Sec. 2.1. When in the interest of the general public and in the opinion of the Department of Agriculture it is deemed advisable, the Department has authority to quarantine or restrict any and all animals intended for human consumption that contain poisonous or deleterious substances which may render meat or meat products or poultry or poultry products from such animals or poultry injurious to health; except in case the quantity of such substances in such animals does not ordinarily render meat or meat products or poultry or poultry products from such animals injurious to health. The Department or its duly authorized agent shall investigate or cause to be investigated all cases where it has reason to believe that animals intended for human consumption are contaminated with any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render them unfit for human consumption. The Department or its duly designated agent in performing the duties vested in it under this Act is empowered to enter any premises, barns, stables, sheds, or other places for the purposes of administering this Act. The Department may allow the sale or transfer of animals under quarantine or restriction subject to reasonable rules and regulations as may be prescribed. For the purposes of this Act, the term "Animal" means cattle, calves, sheep, swine, horses, mules or other equidae, goats, poultry and any other animal which can be or may be used in and for meat or poultry or their products for human consumption.
(Source: P.A. 77-2117.)

Section 15. The Illinois Equine Infectious Anemia Control Act is amended by changing Section 4 as follows:

(510 ILCS 65/4) (from Ch. 8, par. 954)
Sec. 4. Tests of equidae entering the State. All equidae more than 12 months of age entering the State for any reason other than for immediate slaughter shall be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued by an accredited veterinarian of the state of origin within 30 days prior to entry and shall be negative to an official test for EIA within one year prior to entry. Equidae entering the State for immediate slaughter shall be accompanied by a consignment direct to slaughter at an approved equine slaughtering establishment.
(Source: P.A. 86-223.)

Section 20. The Humane Care for Animals Act is amended by changing Sections 5 and 7.5 as follows:

(510 ILCS 70/5) (from Ch. 8, par. 705)
Sec. 5. Lame or disabled horses. No person shall sell, offer to sell, lead, ride, transport, or drive on any public way any equidae which, because of debility, disease, lameness or any other cause, could not be worked in this State without violating this Act, unless the equidae is being sold, transported, or housed with the intent that it will be moved in an expeditious and humane manner to an approved slaughtering establishment. Such equidae may be conveyed to a proper place for medical or surgical treatment or , for humane keeping or euthanasia, or for slaughter in an approved slaughtering establishment. A person convicted of violating this Section or any rule, regulation, or order of the Department pursuant thereto is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a Class 4 felony.
(Source: P.A. 92-650, eff. 7-11-02.)

(510 ILCS 70/7.5)

Sec. 7.5. Downed animals.

(a) For the purpose of this Section a downed animal is one incapable of walking without assistance.

(b) No downed animal shall be sent to a stockyard, auction, or other facility where its impaired mobility may result in suffering. An injured animal other than those of the equine genus may be sent directly to a slaughter facility.

(c) A downed animal sent to a stockyard, auction, or other facility in violation of this Section shall be humanely euthanised, the disposition of such animal shall be the responsibility of the owner, and the owner shall be liable for any expense incurred. If an animal becomes downed in transit it shall be the responsibility of the carrier.

(d) A downed animal shall not be transported unless individually segregated.

(e) A person convicted of violating this Section or any rule, regulation, or order of the Department pursuant thereto is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a Class 4 felony, with every day that a violation continues constituting a separate offense.
(Source: P.A. 92-650, eff. 7-11-02.)

Section 25. The Humane Slaughter of Livestock Act is amended by changing Section 2 as follows:

(510 ILCS 75/2) (from Ch. 8, par. 229.52) Sec. 2. As used in this Act:

(1) "Director" means the Director of the Department of Agriculture of the State of Illinois.

(2) "Person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, or association doing business in this State, in whole or in part.

(3) "Slaughterer" means any person regularly engaged in the commercial slaughtering of livestock.

(4) "Livestock" means cattle, calves, sheep, swine, horses, mules, goats, and any other animal which can or may be used in and for the preparation of meat or meat products for consumption by human beings or animals. "Livestock", however, does not include horses, mules, or other equidae to be used in and for the preparation of meat or meat products for consumption by human beings, which is prohibited under Section 1.5 of the Illinois Horse Meat Act.

(5) "Packer" means any person engaged in the business of slaughtering or manufacturing or otherwise preparing meat or meat products for sale, either by such person or others; or of manufacturing or preparing livestock products for sale by such person or others.

(6) "Humane method" means either (a) a method whereby the animal is rendered insensible to pain by gunshot or by mechanical, electrical, chemical or other means that is rapid and effective, before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast or cut; or (b) a method in accordance with ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument.
(Source: Laws 1967, p. 2023.)

Section 97. Severability. The provisions of this Act are severable under Section 1.31 of the Statute on Statutes.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

INDEX

Statutes amended in order of appearance

225 ILCS 635/1.5 new

225 ILCS 635/14 rep. from Ch. 56 1/2, par. 253

410 ILCS 605/2.1 from Ch. 8, par. 107.1

510 ILCS 65/4 from Ch. 8, par. 954

510 ILCS 70/5 from Ch. 8, par. 705

510 ILCS 70/7.5

510 ILCS 75/2 from Ch. 8, par. 229.52

Effective Date: 5/24/2007

Illinois Horsemeat Act
(225 ILCS 635/1)

Illinois Compiled Statutes
Professions and Occupations

Sec. 1. In this Act, unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires:

1. (1) "Horse Meat" means the flesh of any animal of the equine family.
   
2. (2) "Slaughterer" means any person engaged in killing animals of the equine family where the carcasses are butchered for any purpose other than that of manufacturing tankage.
   
3. (3) "Wholesale Distributor" means any person not licensed as a slaughterer who is engaged in the business of securing horse meat from a slaughterer, distributor or any other person and distributing it to any retailer, stock or pet ranch, or place where food is served for consumption on the premises.
   
   
4. (4) "Package" means any closed and sealed container which is sold as an unopened unit to the purchaser.
   
   
5. (5) "Bulk meat" means whole carcass, half carcass or quarter carcass.
   
   
6. (6) "Director" means the Director of Agriculture.
   
   
7. (7) "Department" means the Department of Agriculture.
   
   
8. (8) "Processor" means an establishment in which carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat or meat-by-products derived from any animal of the equine family are wholly or in part canned, packed or otherwise processed or prepared for sale.
   
   
9. (9) "Breeder and Raiser of Fur Bearing Animals" means and includes any person who is actively engaged in breeding and raising fur bearing animals who kills and butchers animals of the equine family for feed for such fur bearing animals and does not sell or distribute any part of meat therefrom except in ground form, in which the meat and bones have been ground together, and then only to other persons who also are engaged in the breeding and raising of fur bearing animals. (Source: Laws 1955, p. 388.)

(225 ILCS 635/2)

Sec. 2. No person shall engage in business as slaughterer, processor, breeder and raiser, or wholesale distributor without a license secured from the Department. The form for the application shall be specified by the director. The form shall indicate whether or not the applicant for a license is a corporation in which case a listing shall be made of all holders of more than 5% of the stock of the corporation. The Secretary of the corporation shall immediately notify the Director of any changes in the listing of the stockholders holding more than 5% of the stock of the corporation.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 388.)

(225 ILCS 635/2.1)

Sec. 2.1. No carcass or part of a carcass of a horse, donkey, mule or other animal of the genus equus shall be transported into or slaughtered in the State of Illinois, or held, kept, sold, offered for sale or given away unless it shall be ground, chopped or comminuted so that no piece shall be greater than 3/4 of an inch in any dimension and unless the mass shall be denatured by thoroughly and evenly mixing therein ground bone in an amount sufficient to be felt and determined by feel when rolled between the fingers; or not less than 1% by weight of No. 10 to No. 14 U.S. standard mesh granular charcoal; or by coloring with a harmless coloring matter, other than red; or in any other manner approved by the Department of Agriculture of the State of Illinois. Nothing in this Act prohibits the sale or transportation of bulk meat to a licensed processor if it is denatured as provided above. This Act does not prohibit the sale or transportation of undenatured bulk horse meat to a licensed processor under a permit granted by the Director upon evidence satisfactory to the Director that such bulk horse meat will not be resold or again transported contrary to the provisions of this Act. Nothing in this Section shall apply to horse meat labeled as such in hermetically sealed containers and horse meat in frozen packages of one pound or less, clearly labeled "horse meat", bearing the federal inspection legend and packed in a federally inspected packing plant.
(Source: P.A. 83-760.)

(225 ILCS 635/3)

Sec. 3. Each person engaged in business as a slaughterer, processor, breeder and raiser, or wholesale distributor shall pay an annual license of $50 for each location, except a breeder and raiser of fur bearing animals who slaughters for his own use shall pay an annual license fee of $10 for each location.

However any city, village, incorporated town, park district or other municipal corporation which maintains a zoo shall be granted a license as a slaughterer, processor or breeder and raiser without payment of any annual license fee upon compliance with the requirements of this Act, but such a licensee shall not use horse meat except as food for its zoo animals.
(Source: Laws 1957, p. 192.)

(225 ILCS 635/3.1)

Sec. 3.1 Upon receipt of an application for a license, the Director of the Department shall cause the said applicant, his premises and facilities to be inspected by authorized inspectors of the Department for purposes of sanitation, proper facilities and the character of the firm, person, corporation or its officers filing such application. If, upon completion of the above inspection, the applicant or his facilities are found not to be in compliance with the provisions of this Act, the Director may deny or refuse to renew the license.
(Source: Laws 1953, p. 1208.)

(225 ILCS 635/3.2)

Sec. 3.2 The following persons are ineligible for licenses:

(225 ILCS 635/4)

Sec. 4. Each person engaged in business as a slaughterer or wholesale distributor and operating from any vehicle, unless the vehicle is operated as a part of a licensed establishment having a fixed location, shall pay an annual fee of $25 for each vehicle.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1498.)

(225 ILCS 635/5)

Sec. 5. Each applicant for a license and each licensee shall operate its business in a sanitary manner and be subject to inspection by authorized agents of the Department. Each person engaged in business as a slaughterer, processor, breeder and raiser, or wholesale distributor, except a breeder and raiser of fur bearing animals who slaughters for his own use, shall operate his business in accordance with the Sanitary Inspection Law of the Department of Agriculture. For any violation thereof, the Department may revoke the license of a licensee herein or deny the license of an applicant who fails to comply with the provisions thereof, subject in either case to a hearing as provided in Section 40 of "An Act to prevent fraud in the sale of dairy products, their imitation or substitutes, to prohibit and prevent the manufacture and sale of unhealthful, adulterated or misbranded food, liquors or dairy products, and to repeal all acts relating to the production, manufacture and sale of dairy and food products and liquors in conflict herewith", approved May 14, 1907, as amended.
(Source: Laws 1953, p. 1208.)

(225 ILCS 635/6)

Sec. 6. Each person engaged in business as a slaughterer or wholesale distributor who uses vehicles to distribute horse meat shall mark plainly on both sides of the vehicle the person's name, address and license number.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1498.)

(225 ILCS 635/7)

Sec. 7. Any vehicle operating independently in distributing horse meat shall be marked plainly on both sides with the name of the operator and his license number.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1498.)

(225 ILCS 635/8)

Sec. 8. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as requiring any person to secure a license for any vehicle which is operating as a common carrier.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1498.)

(225 ILCS 635/9)

Sec. 9. No distributor of horse meat shall have in his possession horse meat ready for distribution unless each package is plainly labeled or tagged with the words "Horse Meat" or, if the meat is that of some member or members of the equine family other than the horse or is a mixture of meats, then with a label designating the specific species from which such meat was derived.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 388.)

(225 ILCS 635/10)

Sec. 10. No slaughterer shall have any package of horse meat ready for distribution in its possession unless such package is plainly labeled as is provided by Section 9 of this Act. The possession or control of any horse meat which violates any of the provisions of this Act shall be held to be prima facie evidence that such possession or control is or was with intent to sell or use such horse meat in violation of this Act. Whoever shall have possession or control with intent to sell any horse meat which violates any of the provisions of this Act shall be held to have known the true character, quality and name of such horse meat.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 388.)

(225 ILCS 635/11)

Sec. 11. No retailer, stock or pet ranch, or place where food is served for consumption on the premises shall have in his or its possession any package of horse meat ready for distribution which is not plainly labeled as provided in section 9 of this Act.
(Source: Laws 1955, p. 388.)

(225 ILCS 635/12)

Sec. 12. No person shall, with intent to mislead or deceive, deface, erase or remove any label or mark required by any provision of this Act.
(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1498.)

(225 ILCS 635/13)

(225 ILCS 635/14)

Sec. 14. Horse meat labeled as such in hermetically sealed containers and registered under the Illinois Commercial Feed Act of 1961 is excluded from the provisions of this Act. Horse meat prepared in federally inspected plants located in the State of Illinois, for sale outside of the State of Illinois, is excluded from the provisions of this Act.
(Source: Laws 1967, p. 3891.)

(225 ILCS 635/14.1)

Sec. 14.1 The Department of Agriculture shall make and enforce reasonable rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.
(Source: Laws 1953, p. 1208.)

(225 ILCS 635/15)

Sec. 15. For the violation of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations made by the Department pursuant to this Act, the Department shall have the authority to revoke any license, subject to a hearing as is provided for under "The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act", approved September 22, 1975, as amended.
(Source: P.A. 83-333.)

(225 ILCS 635/16)

Sec. 16.Whoever violates any provision of this Act shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
(Source: P. A. 77-2508.)

(225 ILCS 635/17)

Sec. 17. All final administrative decisions of the Department hereunder are subject to judicial review pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Review Law, and all amendments and modifications thereof and all rules and regulations adapted pursuant thereto. The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(Source: P.A. 82-783.)

(225 ILCS 635/18)

Sec. 18. Short Title. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Illinois Horse Meat Act.
(Source: P.A. 83-760.)