Court rules that halaal meat can’t be labelled organic

MEAT from animals that were not stunned before slaughter – common to Islamic halaal practices – cannot be labelled organic, the EU’s top court ruled yesterday.

Many Muslims believe that for meat to be halaal, the animal may not be stunned before it is killed – a practice that runs counter to standard rules on animal slaughter.

In 2012, a French association to protect slaughterhouse animals applied for a ban on granting the “organic farming” label to halaal minced beef patties. The request was rejected, leading to a series of appeals.

The French court handling the case then turned to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for help in interpreting EU laws.

The Luxembourg-based court argued that meat bearing the EU’s organic logo must follow the “highest standards, in particular in the area of animal welfare”.

“Scientific studies have shown that pre-stunning is the technique that compromises animal welfare the least at the time of killing,” the court noted.

The ritual slaughter of unstunned animals “is insufficient to remove all of the animal’s pain, distress and suffering as effectively as slaughter with pre-stunning,” which causes the animal to lose consciousness and sensibility, it added.

Therefore, EU rules “do not authorise the placing of the organic production logo of the EU on products derived from animals which have been slaughtered in accordance with religious rites without first being stunned,” the ECJ concluded. | dpa African News Agency (ANA)