By Heather Johnson, The North Platte Telegraph

Horse processing plants could make a comeback. On Wednesday, Nebraska Sen. Tyson Larson introduced a bill (LB 305) that, if passed, would create a state meat inspection program that could pave the way for the revival of an industry thought to be dead.

Horse processing plants have been closed nationwide since 2007, when a federal judge refused to allow Belgian-owned Cavel International Inc. in DeKalb, Ill., to remain open.

Located approximately 60 miles west of Chicago, Cavel was the only remaining processing center that slaughtered horses for human consumption. A portion of the meat was sold to zoos within the United States, but the majority was shipped overseas to markets and restaurants.

The U.S. did not ban horse processing, but in 2006, Congress refused to allow the United States Department of Agriculture to inspect plants. States could still inspect their own meat, but federal inspection was required to transport it across state lines.

Reviving an industry

The 2008 Farm Bill changed that. If Larson's proposal goes through and a state meat inspection program is established, Nebraska could ship horsemeat across its borders.

That would be good news for producers across the U.S., who have seen the market plummet since the processing centers closed. Advocates say it would also be the more humane way to deal with issues of abandonment and abuse that have occurred because of a combination of horse overpopulation and the poor economy.

Horses can be transported to packing plants in Canada and Mexico, but the journey is often grueling.

As a rope horse trainer who was raised on his family's ranch outside of O'Neill, Larson is concerned about the animals' welfare.

"Right now, we're cramming them into trailers and sending them on 2,000-mile trailer rides," he said. "Once they're across the border, we don't know how they're being treated. If we process them here, we will do it humanely and the meat will be properly inspected."

He said it would also be a good move for rural economic development.

"Before the market went bad, horses destined for processing plants could be sold for $500 to $600. Now if owners are lucky, they may get $100," he said. "If they could sell their animals for more, that's money they could spend locally. If the plant in North Platte were to start up again, that would mean more jobs and more money in the area. Failing to reopen processing centers is hurting farmers, ranchers and rural communities."

Last week, Larson spoke at a Summit of the Horse conference in Las Vegas, Nev., where participants tried to develop a strategy for reopening plants at the federal level.

"Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana are the states determined to have the best chance for that," said Larson. "The Humane Society of the United States doesn't have as strong of a hold in those states as it does in other areas."

Larson said he's been told that HSUS has chosen Nebraska as its next target because chances are good that the state could reopen a processing center.

"We're going to be doing a lot of education about this," he said. "I don't see a negative side. I think this bill is extremely needed, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to do good for agriculture and economic development."

Local state Sen. Tom Hansen co-signed on the bill. He said he's hopeful that plants could reopen, but said the funding aspect could be problematic given the state's tight budget.

"The state wouldn't pay for the reopening, just the inspections," he said. "I don't really know how to get around that, because we don't want the processing centers to pay for the inspections and have the inspectors be employees of the plants."

Hansen said every bill introduced will receive a hearing, but said it might be mid-February before there's one for LB 305. Opinions about the bill can be sent to Hansen at thansen@leg.ne.gov, or Larson at tlarson@leg.ne.gov.