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USDA Strengthens Rules for Organic Livestock and Poultry, Ensures Fairness for Organic Producers and includes Religious Slaughter

January 19, 2017: From FSIS and Halalfocus.net and USDA:

The USDA has published final regulations on how Organic Livestock and Poultry need to be handled. As part of the regulation they are allowing religiously slaughtered animals to be labeled as organic.

Ritual Slaughter: "The final rule adds the term “ritual slaughter” and references the definition in the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act (7 U.S.C. 1902(b)). This Act defines ritual slaughter as “slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument and handling in connection with such slaughtering. Organic livestock and handling operations may use ritual slaughter to convert their livestock to meat or poultry without loss of organic status."