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Debunking the Rumor: Kosher Slaughter is Not Inhumane

Much has been made about the new animal welfare code issued by New Zealand Minister for Agriculture David Carter with the intention of “ensur(ing) animals are humanely killed.” This new code in essence puts a ban on shechita, kosher ritual slaughter, and makes the possibility of kosher chicken in New Zealand impossible.

So, the question has been raised: Is the way of slaughter that creates kosher meat inhumane?

What people need to remember is that ANY slaughterhouse, kosher or not, is by its own definition an atrocious, bloody, gruesome place. There is very little in any slaughterhouse that can be considered “humane.”

However, the Torah consists of language that insists on avoiding needless pain on animals that are being prepared for shechita.

Kosher slaughter is conducted by cutting the trachea and esophagus with a perfect knife while simultaneously cutting the primary supplier of blood to the brain, the carotid arteries. This immediate loss of blood combined with a tremendous drop in blood pressure kills the animal virtually instantaneously.

Studies conducted at the Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine concluded that this method of animal slaughter renders the creature unconscious within seconds of the incision, which in layman’s terms means that within seconds the creature feels nothing… including pain.

The new requirement by the Kiwi government is for all animals to be shocked before the slaughter begins (an act that renders the meat non-kosher). While this writer’s veterinary knowledge is limited, it would seem hard to believe issuing an electric shock to a creature right before issuing it a quick and relatively pain-free death could be considered, if anything, the exact opposite of “humane.”

Kosher Meat Blog

Debunking the Rumor: Kosher Slaughter is Not Inhumane

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