Belgian region parliamentary committee votes to ban ritual slaughter

A committee of the Walloon Parliament in southern Belgium votes to ban the slaughter of unstunned animals, a requirement for both kosher and halal ritual slaughter.

The environment committee of the Walloon Parliament voted unanimously for the ban, which takes effect on September 1, 2019. The issue is set to be debated later this month in the Parliament’s plenary, according to the European Jewish Congress. Similar legislation has been proposed by the parliament in the northern Belgium Flanders or Flemish region.

Shechitah, the ritual method of slaughtering animals, requires they be conscious when their throats are slit — a practice that critics say is cruel, but which advocates insist is more humane than mechanized methods used in non-kosher abattoirs. Muslims slaughter animals in a similar method, albeit with fewer restrictions, to produce halal meat.

— JTA