date:Jun 09, 2012
er, Dutch agriculture minister, signed an agreement with Jewish and Muslim religious leaders and slaughterhouses to prevent a ban on religious slaughter.
The agreement specifies that animals can continue to be ritually slaughtered provided they lose consciousness within 40 seconds of their throats being cut. After 40 seconds, the animals must be stunned, which is prohibited under Islamic and Jewish law.
The EU demands that all animals be stunned before slaughter but makes exceptions for religi