OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislators in Oklahoma appear set to lift a ban on horse slaughter for commercial purposes. Both the state senate and house chambers approved two bills that would end horse- slaughter ban while prohibiting the sale of horse meat for human consumption in the state.

Senate Bill 375 allows horse meat to be exported, while House Bill 1999 would allow horse slaughter but continue an existing ban on domestic sales of horse meat. Exported products would be labeled as horse meat.SB-375 passed the state senate by a vote of 38-6, and HB-1999 passed the House by a vote of 82-14.

The last US horse slaughterhouse closed in 2007 in Illinois after Congress eliminated funding for horse-meat inspections, which effectively ended horse slaughter in the US. But a report from the General Accounting Office revealed that horse slaughter began to decline. Pro-slaughter activists argued the ban had unintended consequences, such as an increase in neglect and abandonment of horses. Nevertheless, animal activists have vowed to block any petition to slaughter horses.