COUNCIL DEFENDS KOSHER BAN

THE LEADER of a council has been criticised by Jewish community leaders for his response to the banning of kosher meat from schools under his authority.

Lancashire County Council became the first council to ban the supply of meat from animals that had not been stunned before slaughter in October.

The Board of Deputies and Manchester Jewish Representative Council met the local authority last week but said they had found a “dismissive attitude”.

British law requires farm animals to be stunned, but provides a religious exemption for the production of kosher and halal meat.

Geoff Driver, the council’s Conservative leader, proposed the ban, claiming it was “abhorrent” to cut an animal’s throat without stunning it first.

Mr Driver insisted the decision was made purely to promote animal welfare.

He met the Jewish community representatives to discuss the issue, but failed to reach an agreement.

Marie van der Zyl, Board vice-president; Jonny Wineberg, the Rep Council chief executive; and a representative of Shechita UK, expressed concern at what they claimed was Mr Driver’s suggestion that a Jewish councillor and two Muslim councillors who had examined the issue could not be objective because of their faiths.

They also criticised language used by Mr Driver to describe religious slaughter.

Ms van der Zyl said she felt the council leader had displayed a “dismissive attitude”.

She added: “He stood by polarising and divisive language that can only harm community relations.

“Our elected representatives should be taking a lead on how to treat others with respect. Mr Driver has failed to do that on this occasion.”

Mr Wineberg said Mr Driver had described non-mechanically prestunned slaughter as “cruel” and “abhorrent”.

Mr Wineberg added: “We hope this misjudged decision will be overturned at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Mr Driver said: “This is about animal cruelty and not religion. We cannot seem to have a meaningful conversation about the issues.”