News - June 23, 2011

Wageningen in ritual slaughter court case

Jewish organizations want to know more about the research report produced by Wageningen University.

The court case about ritual slaughter brought by NIK, the organization of the Jewish communities in the Netherlands, and NIHS, the Jewish community of Amsterdam, against Wageningen University and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation comes up for hearing on Thursday 23 June. The Jewish organizations dispute the scientific value of research reports produced by Wageningen University. These reports say animals suffer pain during ritual slaughter without stunning.
In 2010, Wageningen researcher Bert Lambooij concluded in a literature study for the Ministry that slaughter with stunning causes less suffering to animals than the method without stunning used in kosher and halal slaughter. The plaintiffs say the conclusions are incorrect and talk of ‘Mickey-Mouse science'. They are demanding more information about how the study was conducted.
Last week, Lambooij explained his research in a public hearing on ritual slaughter before the Lower House. The Lower House will soon be voting on proposed legislation banning slaughter without stunning, which was submitted by the Party for Animal Rights.
What is Lambooij actually claiming? Read the following article.