SB 23-038

Senate Bill 23-038, which has been signed into law in Colorado, makes it illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption. This means that anyone who kills a horse knowing or reasonably believing any part of the horse will be eaten by people can face criminal charges. The bill also penalizes those who buy, sell, transport, or accept horses with the intent of slaughtering them for food. Violators can receive fines and lose their right to own horses or participate in livestock markets for several years. This law affects anyone involved in horse trading or slaughter within Colorado's borders.

Official Summary

Section 1 of the bill establishes the crime of unlawful equine slaughter. A person engages in unlawful equine slaughter if the person: Slaughters an equine when the person knows or reasonably should know that any part of the equine will be used for human consumption; Possesses, imports into the state, exports from the state, buys, sells, gives away, or accepts an equine with the intent of killing, or having another person kill, the equine if the person knows or reasonably should know that any part of the equine will be used for human consumption; or Possesses, imports into the state, exports from the state, buys, sells, gives away, or accepts equine meat if the person knows or reasonably should know that the meat will be used for human consumption. Section 1 provides a safe harbor to the offense for equine slaughtered for use by a facility in feeding predators housed at the facility. Each equine that is unlawfully slaughtered and each 100 pounds of equine meat derived from unlawful slaughter is a separate offense. A first violation is a class 1 misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000, and a second or subsequent violation within a 10-year period is a class 5 felony with a mandatory minimum fine of $5,000. If a person obtains the equine by fraud and commits unlawful equine slaughter, it is a class 4 felony with a mandatory minimum fine of $10,000. In addition, a person that commits unlawful equine slaughter is forever prohibited from owning, possessing, or caring for an equine and from participating in a public livestock market for 3 to 5 years. Sections 2 and 3 require notice of the crime of unlawful equine slaughter to be given at livestock auctions and on bills of sale.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

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