Victory for animal welfare in Poland as Parliament rejects a bill to legalise slaughter without stunning.
The debate on slaughter without prior stunning has been running for decades in Poland, with a full ban on the practice introduced under the Animal Protection Act of 1997. Exemptions were later introduced, however, and until recently there was a significant trade exporting kosher and halal meat to Israel and Muslim countries. In November 2012, after the Polish Constitutional Court had ruled ritual slaughter unconstitutional, the government introduced a bill to allow the practice to continue.
Major campaigns and demonstrations by NGOs were supported by mainstream media, and on Friday 12 July, the lower house of the Polish parliament rejected a bill to legalise slaughter without stunning with 222 votes against, 178 in favour, and 9 abstentions. 38 members of the ruling Civic Platform party joined the opposition to vote against the government bill.
The vote makes Poland one of the few EU Member States where the practice is banned, with no exceptions, and ends a 6-month struggle with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government.
OneKind welcomes this decisive move in an EU member state with a significant agricultural sector and needless to say we want to see this example followed in the UK.
As a UK animal protection charity we seek to respect all views and beliefs, including those dictated by different religious faiths. However we cannot accept the infliction of pain, terror and distress on animals at the end of their lives, least of all when there are alternatives available. These could include simply not eating meat if the method of production is not acceptable; or in the case of the Muslim faith a reversible (electric) stun is accepted by the UK Halal Food Authority.
In Scotland, where we have our headquarters, there is currently no non-stun slaughter in licensed slaughterhouses. We believe the Scottish Government could implement a full ban on non-stun slaughter without disadvantaging the industry and could lead the way in the UK towards increased, much-needed protection for animals.
If Government is not prepared to take a lead on this issue - despite public opinion and the overwhelming scientific evidence that slaughter without pre-stunning causes unnecessary suffering - the least we should expect is a genuine commitment to traceability and a proper method-of-production labelling scheme so that consumers can know what they are purchasing.
The right to make ethical choices should be protected by law and there is no religious freedom that can be harmed by the simple provision of information.
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