Animals as Objects of Ritual Slaughter: Polish Law after the Battle over Exceptionless Mandatory Stunning

The safeguarding of animal welfare includes the reduction of pain inflicted on farm animals when slaughtered. According to the Polish Animal Protection Act of 1997, the killing of animals may be carried out only by means of humanitarian methods which decrease pain to the lowest possible level, including mandatory stunning of animals before their slaughter. This article examines the events that took place after the Polish Parliament abolished in 2002 an exception to this stunning requirement which had been reserved for killing animals according to religious rites (used by small Jewish and Muslim communities to obtain kosher and halal meat)