K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Israel issues new guidelines requiring more humane ways of kosher slaughter on imported beef

May 18, 2017: The JTA:

"Israel’s Agricultural Ministry has issued new guidelines that will require more humane ways of kosher slaughter on beef that is imported into the country."
"In the New Guidelines for Humane Kosher Slaughter, the Veterinary Services and Animal Health Division of the ministry mandated that imported meat must be slaughtered using a rotating restraint device, which is seen as more humane than the commonly used shackle-and-hoist method."
"The switch to a rotating restraint device must be made by June 1, 2018, and new suppliers must begin using the more humane method immediately."
"Forty percent of the beef consumed in Israel comes from Paraguay, which does not export beef to the United States. The practice is not permitted in Israel, which has limited kosher beef slaughter."
"The shackle-and-hoist method is common in slaughterhouses in Argentina and Uruguay, which do export to the United States."
"A petition by animal rights groups was filed with Israel’s Supreme Court after the investigative report went public, calling on the court to order that meat import licenses require foreign slaughterhouses to comply with Israeli law and other international ordinances and prohibit the use of the shackle-and-hoist method."