7 News reported earlier<\/a>, a Pennsylvania truck driver was arrested for allegedly violating a state law banning the sale and transport of horses for slaughter.<\/p>\nFirst arrest under 2024 law<\/p>\n
It marked the first time anyone has been arrested in New York for violating the law, which went into effect in 2024, according to Sonja Meadows, the founder and president of the Maryland-based Animals\u2019 Angels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very happy that this law is being enforced,\u201d said Meadows. \u201cI usually do not get a happy ending, and it is very gratifying and rewarding to see this. And I think it\u2019s a great precedent for future transports.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horses traced to Pennsylvania livestock dealer<\/p>\n
State police said the 25 horses in the truck came from Rotz Livestock, owned by Bruce Rotz, in Shippensburg, Pa., and were destined for slaughter in Canada.<\/p>\n
Meadows said Animals\u2019 Angels has investigated Rotz\u2019s operation since 2009, documenting conditions, following trucks, and tracing the routes used to move horses from Pennsylvania, through New York, to the Viande Richelieu horse slaughter plant in Quebec, Canada.<\/p>\n
Conditions during transport<\/p>\n
\u201cI have documented many, many transports, you know, of slaughter horses, and filmed what they go through, and they\u2019re all dead now,\u201d said Meadows. \u201cWe have documented, more than I care to remember, horses falling in the trailer and other horses trampling them to death.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said trailers can reach temperatures well over 100 degrees in summer heat, combined with long-distance transport and deprivation of water and food.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing humane about horse slaughter from start to finish,\u201d Meadows said.<\/p>\n
Deadly 2013 crash<\/p>\n
In one case in 2013, 30 horses from Rotz Livestock were killed when the truck hauling them caught fire on Interstate 81 north of Binghamton, Meadows said. According to published reports, the driver, Clarence Phelps, was from Watertown.<\/p>\n
Shipments continued after ban<\/p>\n
Meadows said that even after New York passed its ban, Rotz continued to ship slaughter-bound horses through the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very disheartening, especially if you look at 2025 numbers of horses exported for slaughter by Rotz Livestock,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was close to 1,600 horses in 2025 that suffered that fate.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meadows said evidence was provided to the New York State Attorney General\u2019s office. She said the AG\u2019s office replied in a May 2025 letter stating it would not pursue an investigation due to a lack of resources.<\/p>\n
How the case came together<\/p>\n
Meadows hoped 2026 would be different. Last Monday, she and another Animals\u2019 Angels investigator went to Rotz\u2019s facility in Shippensburg to observe activity. Nothing happened that day.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we started again on Tuesday, and there was a flurry of activity,\u201d Meadows said. \u201cTrucks were moving, horses were being moved, slaughter tags were visible on the horses, and the loading ramp was very busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when Animals\u2019 Angels, the New York State Humane Association, the Warren County (NY) District Attorney\u2019s Office, New York State Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture mobilized.<\/p>\n
State Senator Dan Stec, R-45th District, who represents part of St. Lawrence County, was also involved. He said he presented advocates\u2019 evidence directly to state police and district attorneys.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great example of several organizations and the state police cooperating together,\u201d said Meadows. \u201cI mean, what a great team and what great champions for horses. And I\u2019m very happy today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horses now in veterinary care<\/p>\n
After the truck driver was arrested Wednesday, state police said the 25 horses were taken to a veterinary clinic in Saratoga County. Meadows said the animals will be put up for adoption.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you that they\u2019re receiving the best care, that they are being monitored by veterinarians, and that they\u2019re very happy right now,\u201d Meadows said.<\/p>\n
Driver\u2019s court date set, Rotz\u2019s status unclear<\/p>\n
As for Rotz, there\u2019s no word on whether he will be prosecuted. The driver was ordered to appear in DeKalb Town Court at a later date.<\/p>\n
Meadows said the penalty for a commercial enterprise transporting horses through New York for slaughter is $2,500 per horse. The driver arrested in this case could face $1,500 per horse because he is being charged as an individual, she said.<\/p>\n
Global horse meat market<\/p>\n
Meadows said the global horse meat market is dwindling but that some countries still import horse meat from Canada, with Japan being the largest importer. Japan imports both horse meat and live horses for slaughter, she said.<\/p>\n
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