Proposition 6 was an initiative statute which appeared on the November 3rd, 1998 California general election ballot. It was passed with 4,670,524 "Yes" votes, for 59.4 percent of the total votes cast. The law puts horses (including ponies), donkeys and mules under the same pet classification as dogs and cats,^[1] thus making it a felony for any person in the state to possess, transfer, receive, or hold any such animal with the intent to kill it, or have it killed, where the person knows, or should have known, that any part of the carcass will be used for human consumption.^[2] An additional provision makes it a misdemeanor to sell horseflesh within the state as meat intended for human consumption. The law further allows for anyone previously convicted of selling horsemeat to be charged with a felony in any future prosecutions for the same offense. Only about one percent of California horses were previously slaughtered for horsemeat, primarily for export to markets in Belgium, France, Italy, and Japan.^[3]. Horsemeat is rarely eaten by people in the United States.

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• Animal law