The
British government will next month discuss a total ban on Jewish and Muslim
ritual slaughter in a move set to anger thousands, the Times of London reported
Thursday.
Under European Union animal welfare regulations, all farm
animals must be stunned before slaughter, unless they are killed by religious
methods, the paper said. According to Jewish and Muslim religious law, the
animal's neck is slit and left to bleed to death.
Though some Muslim slaughterhouses allow the use of electric
stunners, Jewish law is less flexible and shocking the animal first is not
allowed.
The Times reported Thursday that a four-year study by the Farm
Animal Welfare Council, which is appointed and funded by the British
government, has concluded that Jewish and Muslim slaughter methods are
inhumane.
The panel is insisting that the slaughter methods meet
mainstream regulations. According to the Times, negotiations between the council
and Jewish and Muslim religious groups have broken down. The Campaign for the
Protection of Shechita (the Jewish slaughter method), says the Times, has
called the council one of the most "stubborn repositories of
institutionalized religious prejudice in this country."
A council source did however tell the Times that, "if
modern slaughter methods can avoid suffering, it is not unreasonable for
religious leaders to reconsider their position.
Research by members of the council found that cows and poultry
take up to two minutes to lose consciousness after their throats are cut, while
for sheep it is between 14 and 70 seconds.
Neville Nagler, director-general of the Board of Deputies of
British Jews, told the Times that, "pre-stunning is against our very long-
standing religious principles. There would be a very serious outcry at
interference in what has been a fundamental religious rite for thousands of
years."
The Jewish method of slaughter is already prohibited by
Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. In France, only the Jewish
umbrella group CRIF is permitted to slaughter animals.
A compromise was reached in the Netherlands last year under
which Jews are allowed to slaughter bulls, but only as long as the slaughter
does not take more than three seconds