Robert M. Seitz, of Lewistown, PA, was pulled over around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 on U.S. Route 11 south of De Kalb, NY, according to state police. Inside his trailer, troopers found multiple horses \u201ctagged for transport to Canada for slaughter,\u201d investigators said.<\/p>\n
New York State Police had been investigating a facility in Pennsylvania, Rotz\u2019s Livestock in Shippensburg, owned by Bruce Rotz, according to authorities. They received a complaint on Friday, Aug. 28 about Rotz trucking horses through New York for slaughter in Quebec, officials said.<\/p>\n
Rotz has been investigated<\/a> by animal rights advocates for more than a decade. In 2020, the Albany Times-Union<\/a> tracked 13 trucks with 350 horses from Rotz\u2019s facility to Massueville, Quebec.<\/p>\n While Rotz\u2019s actions aren\u2019t illegal in Pennsylvania, New York passed a law in 2023 banning the transport of horses through the state for slaughter. Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was meant to \u201caddress animal cruelty and the mistreatment of horses in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n Seitz was charged with violating New York State Agriculture and Markets Law \u00a7 385.02, which prohibits the slaughter of horses for human or animal consumption, state police said. He was released on appearance tickets for De Kalb Town Court.<\/p>\n