Lawmaker wins initial approval of Tenn. horse-slaughter bill over opposition from Willie Nelson

Following a war of words between a legislator and singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, right, a Tennessee legislative subcommittee voted 7-6 today for a bill that would allow the state to establish horse slaughter and processing plants if they are again permitted in the U.S. The vote was a victory for Rep. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Plains, below, who "had upbraided Nelson for his opposition to killing and processing horses for meat ... during an agriculture committee meeting last month," Anne Paine writes for The Tennessean.

In an article submitted by e-mail to the Nashville newspaper, Nelson said Niceley "wants folks to believe it is more humane to allow buyers to travel around our great country purchasing healthy, wanted horses then haul them to Tennessee to be slaughtered for human consumption. ... At auctions where horse rescue operators are trying to save lives, killer buyers routinely outbid them." Nelson supports a permanent federal bans on horse slaughter here and shipment of U.S. horses to meatpackers in other nations.

Niceley told Paine he likes Nelson's music, but "People like Willie have caused more horse pain and more suffering, and they're well intentioned." Paine writes, "Niceley said his bill is needed because without processing plants, there are more unwanted horses that could die as a result of neglect." (Read more)