06 June 2012

Dutch compromise on ritual slaughter

.... That a majority in the Senate are against the ban was met with great relief in the Muslim and Jewish communities. But it did not solve the issue.

Since the law had passed the lower house by such a wide margin, the Senate’s imminent rejection is seen as obstructionist, an uncommon interference by a body of the government which is not directly elected. It would have thwarted the public will.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture promised to find a compromise which would satisfy the objections of the Senate (that the ban infringed on the right to religious freedom) while meeting the will of the lower house to limit the suffering of animals. [Radio Netherlands Worldwide] Read more