01.07.2011

The Dutch parliament has passed a bill banning the ritual slaughter of any livestock. A vote was passed on Tuesday (29 June) which stipulates that animals should be stunned before being slaughtered. This would contradict Jewish and Muslim slaughter rituals that require an animal to be conscious at the time of death. The vote has to be confirmed by the Senate before it becomes law and commentators say it may be unenforceable in its current form.

But the threat of a ban has led to outcry from Jewish and Muslim groups who say it infringes their right to freedom of religion. The only other country to have introduced such restrictions in recent history is New Zealand. Switzerland, the Scandinavian and Baltic countries also have bans, mostly introduced before World War II.

There is no bill presently before the Dutch parliament to ban consumption of wild game, which is killed in the hunt by methods that often inflict considerable suffering... (hypocrisy ?)