December 16, 2012

WARSAW, Poland (JTA) — The Polish Parliament is set to amend the law on animal protection so that ritual slaughter without stunning is possible, government officials have said privately.

Ritually slaughtered meat is exported from Poland mainly to Muslim countries and Israel in an industry that is worth approximately $259 million per year.

A Polish court ruled late last month that a 2004 government directive enshrining ritual slaughter was unconstitutional.

Since the ruling, there has been much discussion in Poland on the subject of ritual slaughter. Animal rights activists point out that ritual slaughter, which forbids first stunning the animal, is more cruel than slaughter with stunning. Supporters of ritual slaughter say that the opposite is true. Both groups are writing letters and petitions to government authorities looking for support on the issue.

On a website set up by supporters of ritual slaughter, Polish lawmaker Pawel Suski, a member of the ruling Civic Platform party, wrote, “Are you also supporting stoning of women?” and “in a slaughterhouse you are creating Kill Bill 4.” 

Others opponents of ritual slaughter followed Suski’s example, writing: “The Jews have their own country …  this is Poland, not Israel,” “Go 10 meters underground, where Hitler was preparing a place for you,” and “Poland for the Poles, not for you and the rest of the Jews.”

Supporters of ritual slaughter called on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to condemn Suski’s comments. Piotr Kadlcik, president of the Union of Jewish Communities in Poland, announced that he will write a letter of complaint to the parliamentary ethics committee. Open Republic, a Polish association against anti-Semitism and xenophobia, is considering taking legal action.

Poland reportedly intends to implement Regulation 1099 — a set of rules drawn up by the European Union that is meant to legalize ritual slaughter in the E.U.’s 27 member states. The regulation is scheduled to come into effect on Jan. 1. Countries are not required to implement the rules or may implement them partially.

Poland has about 6,000 Jews and 25,000 Muslims, according to the European Jewish Congress and the U.S. State Department, respectively.
 

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