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Esther Ouwehand of the Party for the Animals proposed ending the exemption that allows religious groups to slaughter animals without prior stunning. Slaughter without stunning is otherwise prohibited.
5 sources
The Party for the Animals (PvdD) submitted a renewed bill requiring animals to be unconscious before slaughter, including during ritual slaughter. The proposal would also ban carbon-dioxide stunning of pigs, electric water-bath stunning of chickens, ducks and turkeys, the transport of heavily pregnant animals to slaughterhouses, and the transport and conveyor-belt handling of poultry while unstunned in crates. The proposed ban on slaughter without prior stunning would restrict religious freedom because Islamic and Jewish rules can require animals to be slaughtered without stunning. A previous PvdD bill failed in the Senate 15 years ago. The new proposal has received advice from the Council of State; the State Secretary for Agriculture has said he personally supports a ban, but its passage remains uncertain despite what is described as a potential parliamentary majority.
1 source
Former Party for the Animals leader Esther Ouwehand is on her party’s candidate list for the upcoming First Chamber elections. She is sixth on the list but said she does not expect to win a seat and intends to remain in the Lower House. The party won three seats in the previous First Chamber elections.