Bo Derek in Illinois

Very graphic footage of horses being slaughtered along with a personal appeal from Bo Derek (actress) were not enough to persuade the Illinois lawmakers to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption.

Cavel International Inc. slaughterhouse in DeKalb reopened in the spring of 2004, after the building was destroyed two years before by fire. Belgium based Cavel exports the horse meat to Europe for profit.

The proposed ban failed in the House to stop the slaughter on a vote 51-60.

"I have never seen anything slap Illinois agriculture in the face more than this bill does," stated Republican Rep. Jim Sacia, who argued it would be wrong to bar the slaughter of any livestock, no matter how unpleasant it looked on tape. Mrs. Derek, a spokeswoman for the National Horse Protection Coalition, urged lawmakers last week to ban the practice, and the Senate passed the bill. Opponents questioned the constitutionality of the measure, saying it would be wrong to legislate what and what not people can eat.

Some context taken from Associated Press Writer - Ginny Skalski

House Reprehensive Charles Morrow, a Chicago Democrat, also complained about Mrs. Derek's involvement, saying; "I find it insulting that we're now governing by celebrity."

Derek says, "I'm not going to judge another culture and what they choose to eat, but I don't see why they have to eat American horses." Derek, 47, criticizes the "inhumane" way horses are shipped to slaughterhouses, saying, "They deserve better than being shipped in double-decker cattle trucks where they can't stand... Critically injured horses are shipped in horrible conditions without water over 24 hours to slaughterhouses."

BO DEREK has been appointed as special envoy of the Secretary of State for Wildlife Trafficking Issues. The 10 star revealed she was honored to accept the "daunting" role at a ceremony at the US State Department last week (begs17APR06). She said, "I know my participation in this is going to be small compared to people actively working in the field, but I might be able to help with public awareness. "The Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) will help educate people around the world that their quality of life is diminished, not improved, by purchasing endangered and threatened wildlife products." CAWT aims to draw public and political attention to the ever increasing problem of wildlife trafficking - said to be worth billions of dollars a year.
24/04/2006