NEW YORK – The World Jewish Congress has said it views with concern the remarks of Britain’s top veterinarian, who this week called for a ban on kosher and halal slaughter in a newspaper interview.
“As our affiliate the Board of Deputies of British Jews clearly stated, the practice of ritual slaughter is central to the freedom of religion of both Jews and Muslims in the United Kingdom and should not be abridged because of misguided and unscientific appeals to animal rights,” said WJC CEO Robert Singer.
“Religious slaughter has been practiced humanely and according to the highest ethical standards of animal welfare for millennia, and attempts to paint it otherwise are just plain wrong. British authorities have consistently supported the religious humane slaughter of animals for food and we trust that they will continue to do so.”
Earlier this week, the incoming president of the British Veterinary Association, John Blackwell, claimed in an interview with the UK Times that the traditional method of kosher and halal slaughtering caused animals unnecessary suffering because the animals are not stunned unconscious before the slaughter. Jewish religious authorities vigorously rebut the contention. Blackwell urged Britain to outlaw kosher and halal slaughter if the traditional methods are not changed.
