Danish Muslims and Jews hit back at non-stun ban
Danish Halal and Det Jødiske Samfund (Jewish Society) met with Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Dan Jørgensen to discuss the issue last Friday (21 February).
Jørgensen was presented with more than 20,000 signatures aimed to express the Muslim community’s concern and protest over the non-stun ban.
In a press release, Danish Halal stated: “At the meeting, various misunderstandings were clarified and it was emphasised that Danish Muslims and Jews agree that meat slaughtered prior to stunning is not in accordance with the ritual requirements.
“It was pointed out that the scientific evidence had not changed in this area in the last few years and that animal welfare is paramount in the two major world religions, and that the scientific evidence also painted a positive picture of how ritual slaughter takes place and what account is actually taken to the animals and their welfare.”
Jørgensen explained that the Muslim and Jewish communities must rely on imports of non-stun products from now on, which Danish Halal said will result in “greater financial burdens, less freshness of the meat and inferior security”.
“It was unfortunate that this appeared not to be spent in the process of drafting of the notice the change. It appeared that it was a political decision rather than a consideration of animal welfare,” Danish Halal added.
