File photo of packaged kosher meat. Photo by Ben Harris.
The Dutch senate voted to approve a deal to allow ritual slaughter in the Netherlands.
EU: European Jewish Congress Kantor unveils model bill for Europe on regulating ritual slaughter
18/10/12 www.jta.org
BRUSSELS (JTA) — European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor unveiled a model bill designed to set “strict legal terms” on religious freedoms for the continent.
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Euro Imams, Rabbis Pledge to Combat Hate Preachers
7/9/12 www.turkishweekly.net
Muslim, Jewish leaders say they’re ready to fight hate; conference follows circumcision debate.
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UK – The Politics of Religious Slaughter – How Science Can be Misused
12/8/12 www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk
Reciprocal Meat Conference Hot Topics Paper
An Essay by Joe M. Regenstein, Professor of Food Science, Head: Cornell Kosher and Halal Food Initiative, Stocking Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7201, USA JMR9@cornell.edu
The Jewish and Muslim communities have a set of dietary laws that control the food they eat. These are part of a larger set of laws that impact almost every aspect of their daily lives. The Kosher laws for Jews and the Halal laws for Muslims have been described in some detail by Regenstein, et al. (2004). The focus of this paper is on one of the most important components of these laws, how an animal is killed for food. In both communities there has been a well-document interest and concern for animal welfare long before it was fashionable in the Western world. Both groups traditionally use a cut at the neck to make the animal unconscious. Note also that both groups do not slaughter or use pigs.
UK: BVA speaks out against non-stun meat
4/7/12 www.meatinfo.co.uk
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A call for action from the Welsh government on meat that has not been stunned before slaughter, has been made by the British Veterinary Association (BVA).
UK: Renewed calling to label meat slaughtered by Religious method for Halal and Kosher meat
16/6/12
Religious Slaughter
Standard Note: Last updated: Author: SN/SC/1314 (11 June 2012) Christopher Barclay, Science and Environment Section
- This note describes the methods of slaughter used by the Jewish and Muslim religions. EU law, like UK law before it, requires farm animals to be stunned before slaughter, but there is an exception for religious slaughter.
- The Jewish method of slaughter, Shechita, requires animals not to be stunned before slaughter. Islamic food rules, for Halal meat, can be satisfied with animals stunned before slaughter if animals do not die as a result of the stun, but there is no definitive consensus and slaughter without pre-stunning does also take place.
- Much of the meat on an animal killed by Shechita may not qualify as Kosher meat. There is no requirement that it should be labelled as meat from an animal killed without pre- stunning.
- The Coalition Government has no intention of making Halal or Shechita slaughter illegal, but it is considering welfare labelling of meat.
- Food Standards Agency figures in 2012, the first since 2003, show that more than 80% of animals are stunned before slaughter for Halal meat in the UK.
Dutch Senate ratifies deal allowing shechitah (and Dhabiha)
14/6/12 www.jewishjournal.com
File photo of packaged kosher meat. Photo by Ben Harris.
EU: Dutch groups agree on ritual animal slaughter reforms
6/6/12 www.gulf-times.com
Dutch Agriculture Deputy Minister Henk Bleker signed an agreement with religious leaders yesterday to make ritual slaughter more humane, including stunning animals after 40 seconds.
UK Halal commission launched
5/5/12 MCB Press release
• Muslim Council launches new halal food lobby
• Will defend halal slaughter methods
All halal foods (those permitted under Islamic dietary guidelines) will now be regulated by a new overarching body, the UK Halal Commission.
UK: Muslims of all major branches of Islam sign “Birmingham Declaration” for the religious method of slaughter
5/5/12 www.halalansa.com
Press Release
Birmingham was once known as the city of a thousand trades and over the years has become the multicultural hub of Europe And on Saturday the of 2nd of June Birmingham Central Masjid got the pride to host unique Conference to promote confidence in Halal Food, especially Halal Meat and Poultry.
EU urged to end “excessive” ritual slaughter
17/5/12 www.europolitics.info
Behalal comments: It was a matter of time when this (“excessive”) raised it’s head as another attempt to control the production of halal and kosher meat from religious slaughter methods. The over production is from pre-stunning methods which produce much higher yields. Assumptions have been drawn that halal means religious when this is not the case in practise.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) who conducted a survey into animal welfare in slaughterhouses in September said its own figures showed most animals were stunned before being killed. A spokesman said: “The results indicate that the number of animals not stunned prior to slaughter is relatively low, accounting for 3% of cattle, 10% of sheep and goats, and 4% of poultry.
“They also show that the majority of animals destined for the halal trade in both the red and white meat sectors are stunned before slaughter.”
The FSA said full details of the survey would be published ahead of a discussion at a board meeting on 22 May and these figures dispel the myth of over production of religious slaughtered meat.
UK/Islam: British Muslims Defend Halal Slaughter
7/5/12 iina.me
LONDON, 15 Jumada Al-Thani/6 May (IINA)-UK Muslims have rejected calls to ban animals’ halal slaughter after a leading British vet called for curbing or even banning the practice popular among the country’s Muslim and Jewish minorities.
UK: behalal.org response to leading vet on religious slaughter is misleading
6/5/12
Our response to the following article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17966327
UK: Leading vet criticises ritual slaughter of animals
6/5/12 www.bbc.co.uk
Prof Reilly says if there is no alternative to non-stun slaughter, then it ought to be kept to a minimum
UK: British parliamentarians reject call for compulsory labeling of kosher meat
28/4/12 www.worldjewishcongress.org
Retailers in the UK will not be forced to label halal and kosher meat after a bill proposed by a member of the House of Commons was narrowly voted down.
UK: Labelling of Halal and Kosher meat
25/4/12 news.bbc.co.uk
Retailers must be forced to label halal and kosher meat to ensure that consumers understand the provenance of the products they are buying, Conservative MP Philip Davies has said.
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- EU: European Jewish Congress Kantor unveils model bill for Europe on regulating ritual slaughter
- Euro Imams, Rabbis Pledge to Combat Hate Preachers
- UK – The Politics of Religious Slaughter – How Science Can be Misused
- UK: BVA speaks out against non-stun meat
- UK: Renewed calling to label meat slaughtered by Religious method for Halal and Kosher meat
- Dutch Senate ratifies deal allowing shechitah (and Dhabiha)
- EU: Dutch groups agree on ritual animal slaughter reforms
- UK Halal commission launched
- UK: Muslims of all major branches of Islam sign “Birmingham Declaration” for the religious method of slaughter
- EU urged to end “excessive” ritual slaughter
- UK/Islam: British Muslims Defend Halal Slaughter
- UK: behalal.org response to leading vet on religious slaughter is misleading
- UK: Leading vet criticises ritual slaughter of animals
- UK: British parliamentarians reject call for compulsory labeling of kosher meat
- UK: Labelling of Halal and Kosher meat
