New NY state law makes the sale of horses for meat a crime

ALBANY — Some state lawmakers had argued for nearly two decades that selling horses for meat is a cruel practice and a threat to human health. Now, the practice is a crime.

Selling pet, show, racing and wild horses for meat and the warehousing and transporting of the animals under often cruel conditions is a misdemeanor carrying fines of $1,000 to $5,000, under the measure passed by the State Legislature this year. The measure, which will be effective in early 2024, was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Companion bills also signed into law extend the protections to mules and donkeys and prohibit the sale of injured or disabled horses, which are often sold for meat.

“Having worked for 19 years on this legislation to become law, today is a great day for New York State and for the horses, who deserve better than the fate so many have faced in the past,” said Assemb. Deborah Glick (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the bill outlawing the sale of horses for consumption.

Legislators said opposition to the measures had included arguments that the horse owners had a right to sell their horses just like livestock under personal property laws.

Glick, however, had argued that horses face cruelty when they are targeted for sale as food and in transport to markets. Selling racing horses for meat also exposes people to the potentially dangerous drugs injected into horses that race.

“The callous treatment of horses at the slaughterhouse often results in their prolonged suffering,” one bill states. “Panicked horses are prodded and beaten off the truck and into the kill-chute. The improper use of stunning equipment, designed to render the animal unconscious with a swift shot to the head, means that horses sometimes endure repeated blows and remain conscious during their own slaughter.”

Five other states, including New Jersey and California, already ban horse slaughter for food.

Assemb. J. Gary Pretlow (D-Yonkers), chairman of the Assembly Committee on Racing and Wagering, said thousands of horse auctions around the nation attract slaughterhouse operators. He said auctioneers who accept abused or neglected horses have faced a fine of just $5 since 1965. Under the measure he sponsored, that fine is now a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $1,000 and six months in jail.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.