Do New European Meat Laws Discriminate against Jews?
Danale
2011/04/25 03:43:38
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European Parliament bill would require kosher meat labeling
The Environmental and Consumer Affairs Committee will require Jewish meat packers to label their meat "unstunned before slaughter." This labeling will deter meat buyers from purchasing meats from Jewish producers.
http://m.jta.org/news/article/breaking/2011/04/24/3086945/eur...
Henry Grunwald of Shechita UK says, "In recent months we have highlighted to a number of MEPs that this amendment does nothing to improve animal welfare, fails to fully inform consumers and is clearly discriminatory by design, and most have now chosen to reject it."
The Environmental and Consumer Affairs Committee will require Jewish meat packers to label their meat "unstunned before slaughter." This labeling will deter meat buyers from purchasing meats from Jewish producers.
A European Parliament committee has approved a bill that would require meat that was not stunned before slaughter to be labeled as such.
The food information bill will come before the entire European Parliament for a second reading and vote in July. The stunning amendment was previously rejected by the parliament on the bill's first reading in December 2010.
Animals being slaughtered for kosher consumption cannot be pre-stunned, which goes against the laws of shechita, or kosher slaughter. The process is similar for some Muslim Halal meat. In non-kosher slaughterhouses, cattle are made unconscious, often by electric shock.
The organization Shechita UK lobbied European Parliament ministers to vote against the amendment... The organization claims that the price of kosher meat could skyrocket because the non-kosher market, which purchases 70 percent of kosher meat, might stop buying it because of the labeling.
http://m.jta.org/news/article/breaking/2011/04/24/3086945/eur...
Henry Grunwald of Shechita UK says, "In recent months we have highlighted to a number of MEPs that this amendment does nothing to improve animal welfare, fails to fully inform consumers and is clearly discriminatory by design, and most have now chosen to reject it."
It appears truth in labeling is the issue, not motivated by some discrimination.
If anything, it might raise awareness as to the imhumane treatment of animals before they're slaughtered by NON-kosher and halal butchers.
I cannot imagine that Kosher meat producers will lose much revenue from this; my guess is most people don't care if their meat is "pre-stunned" before slaughter or not.