EU Conference: Animal Welfare and Religious Slaughter Practices

An American diplomat stated that European laws on the humane treatment of animals must include religious exemptions for Jewish and Islamic slaughter practices, so that nations are not seen as hostile towards religious minorities.

«Laws that prevent Jews from practising their religion, including the prohibition of kosher slaughter, were enacted in Europe in the not too distant past in order to make life difficult for Jews. One of the first acts of the Nazi regime was to pass such a law«, said Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. State Department's Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, at a session of the European Commission on 20 October 2022. Lipstadt became known for her victory over Holocaust denier David Irving.

The Commission is the cabinet government of the European Union.

Ms Lipstadt spoke during the conference on freedom of religion and ritual slaughter, at which participants discussed laws requiring the «stunning» of animals into unconsciousness prior to slaughter, which proponents say is more humane. Belgium and Finland are among the EU countries that have introduced such laws.

Under Islamic halal and Jewish kosher regulations, animals must be conscious when they are slaughtered; otherwise the food is not permissible for followers of these two religions.

Ms Lipstadt, a renowned Holocaust scholar who was sworn in as Special Envoy in May, said at the meeting that the mandatory stunning requirement «could compel some individuals to abandon religious or cultural practices» and that it must be brought into line with the protection of religious minorities. She published excerpts from her comments on the Twitter account of her office.

«At a time when we are witnessing a rise in antisemitism, anti-Muslim sentiment and xenophobia across Europe, this type of legislation reinforces the impression that members of religious minorities are not welcome in some countries. It is a terrible time to be Jewish or Muslim», she said.

Ms. Lipstadt added: There is a simple way to both promote animal welfare in slaughter [and] respect the rights of members of religious minorities. By exempting ritual slaughter from these laws, countries can ensure that animals are treated more humanely while at the same time preserving those rights.

The question of ritual slaughter has been contentious in Europe for more than 25 years. In December 2020, the European Court of Justice dismissed the challenge to the Flemish region of Belgium's ban on slaughtering animals that had not been stunned, but said that member states must respect the freedom of religion «of Jewish and Muslim believers to manifest their religion», writes the Washington Times.