France's horsemeat lovers fear US ban

· Illinois campaigners force closure of abattoir
· Action threatens to rein in rising European market

France's horsemeat lovers fear US ban

· Illinois campaigners force closure of abattoir
· Action threatens to rein in rising European market

On the marble slab of his butcher's shop in central Paris, Jean-Pierre Houssin is rearranging his horsemeat. He has horse sausage, Normandy horse joints for roasting, and filet steaks, but his biggest seller is minced horsemeat, to be eaten raw as steak tartare. "It's very healthy - it's high in iron, less fatty than other meats and low in cholesterol. I eat it regularly," he says.

Outside, three golden horse heads and a cutting by a food critic entitled "Why I eat horse" signpost the popular shop.

After years of decline, France's taste for horsemeat is showing signs of a revival. Brigitte Bardot, the film star-turned animal activist, has devoted 2007 to halting the consumption of "the noble beast", but she faces a difficult task - a marketing drive has increased sales.

But in the US a campaign by another cinema icon, Bo Derek, is threatening French supplies of the meat. The US is one of the biggest suppliers of horsemeat to France, but the state of Illinois has ordered the country's last working horse slaughterhouse to stop operations.

After a campaign by Derek and other lobbyists, the Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced last month that it was "past time to stop slaughtering horses in Illinois".

Groups such as the Humane Society of the US say that the country has no tradition of killing horses for meat, and should not be doing so to satisfy foreign consumers. American horsemeat, processed legally by the plant, has been sold mostly to France, Belgium and Japan, but in America it is considered taboo.

The Belgian-owned Illinois slaughterhouse has appealed against the decision. But there is a trend in the US for plants to close. Two other horse abattoirs in Texas were shut down this year.

In France, the news has caused concern. "It's serious, the US is a big part of our supply," says Timothé Masson from Interbev Equins, an organisation of French horsemeat industries. Sales of horsemeat in France rose by 2.1% in 2005-2006, the first upturn in years. Tastings, supermarket campaigns and marketing drives have increased consumption of what was once a cheap, working-class food in Paris and the mining areas of north-east France.

Although only a handful of restaurants still serve horse in the French capital, Mr Masson's group is working to convince more chefs. It is also targeting the public with monthly recipe suggestions, such as sliced horse with tabbouleh.

Around 80% of the horsemeat in France is imported, with more than a third from the US. The French horsemeat industry will now look more to Latin America and Canada as suppliers. Europe's horsemeat market is substantial: France consumes 26,000 tonnes a year, but Italy, where horse sausage and cured meat is popular, eats three times that amount.

At the De Kuiper restaurant in Vilvoorde, north of Brussels, the chef, Alfons Gulickx, is concerned about the US supply drying up. He buys horsemeat from South America, but says prices are rising and supplies dwindling. His horse steaks, broiled in their own fat, sell for €15 (£10), but he feels he may have to increase his prices. Horse is still a popular dish, he says.

"If you want to eat healthily, you will end up with horsemeat."