A slaughterhouse in Ireland that supplies meat to many London-area stores has stopped kosher slaughter following a protest by the fast food chain McDonald's, the ‘Jewish Chronicle’ reports. McDonald's has been under fire in recent days following media reports that halal meat, which is ritually slaughtered for Muslims, is used by some of the fast-food chain's restaurants. After denying that such meat was used because it was against company policy, McDonald's was forced to admit that some of its meat indeed was ritually slaughtered at Slaney Food in County Wexford.
Some McDonald's customers object to eating food made from ritually slaughtered meat because of animal welfare concerns. The ‘Jewish Chronicle’ quoted the Slaney Food’s managing director, Rory Fanning, as saying that “It’s not that we are doing it because someone was influencing us outside the company. We made the decision ourselves. There has been a lot of media coverage of ritual slaughter, and it was in the context of that that the decision was made. I’m not saying it’s the right decision. I am very hesitant.”
McDonald’s said: “While kosher meat is outside McDonald’s UK specification, we understand the importance of it to some customers as well as UK and Irish agriculture. If Slaney has stopped producing kosher meat as a result of our non-specification then there has been a misunderstanding. Our supply chain is in discussion with the Slaney abattoir to ensure they can continue to produce kosher meat separately to their production of traceable, non-kosher meat for McDonald’s UK.”
It is feared that Slaney’s decision will lead to a temporary shortage of kosher meat in Britain. Jacky Lipowicz, chair of the Kosher Licensed Butchers' Association, said: "Shechita is under threat once again. The constant harassment of shechita has led to this situation."
