EU highest court says states can prohibit non-stun ritual slaughter, including halal, causing strong reactions
A decision by the European Court of Justice on December 17 ruled that EU countries may stipulate that animals must be stunned before they are slaughtered. This includes the ritual slaughter methods of halal and kosher.
European Muslim and Jewish communities criticize such provision restricts the exercise of religious freedom. However, the court references an “appropriate balance” between the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and animal welfare in the judgment.
In Europe, the ban on halal and kosher meat has been debated for a long time, and given the prevailing EU practices, Mahmoud Tatari, the General Manager of Germany-based inspection and certification company Halal Control GmbH, struggles to understand why animal welfare is the reason for the ECJ decision.
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