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Illustration Photo - Rabbi Osdoba inspects a knife used to slaughter cows at a meat plant - 2006

The New Zealand government has banned kosher slaughter within its borders, according to a new law that is to immediately take effect. The law requires stunning before slaughter, despite the known fact that the severing of the carotid artery and trachea causes immediate loss of consciousness. Arutz Sheva reports that these measure were taken by Agriculture Minister, David Carter against the advice of his advisors.

New Zealand Bans Shechita

Illustration Photo – Rabbi Osdoba inspects a knife used to slaughter cows at a meat plant – 2006

The New Zealand government has banned kosher slaughter within its borders, according to a new law that is to immediately take effect. The law requires stunning before slaughter, despite the known fact that the severing of the carotid artery and trachea causes immediate loss of consciousness. Arutz Sheva reports that these measure were taken by Agriculture Minister, David Carter against the advice of his advisors.

By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu for Arutz Sheva

New Zealand has become the fifth country to ban kosher slaughtering methods, leaving the local Jewish community outraged. Agriculture Minister David Carter rejected his own advisers’ recommendation that Jewish ritual slaughter be exempted from a ruling that requires animals to be stunned before slaughtering.

The new regulation takes effect immediately, and New Zealand follows Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as countries that prohibit Jews from performing ritual slaughter.

Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, who administers the kosher authority for Australia and New Zealand, contradicted Agriculture Ministry claims that “commercial shechita [Jewish ritual slaughter] of poultry has not taken place in New Zealand for some years due to a lack of interest.”

He told J-Wire of New Zealand and Australia, “We send shochtim [ritual slaughterers] from Sydney on a regular basis, and I can assure you that chickens were slaughtered as well as meat-producing animals. This decision by the New Zealand government, one which has a Jewish prime minister, is outrageous. We will be doing everything possible to get this decision reversed…one of the last countries I would have expected to bring in this blatantly discriminatory action would have been New Zealand.”

Carter rejected the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee’s warning that although it prefers that all animals be stunned before slaughtering, banning Jewish ritual slaughter decision may violate the country’s Bill of Rights. Jewish leaders may raise the issue with Prime Minister John Key (pictured), who is Jewish.

The new ban shows no balance, Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence of Sydney, Australia’s Great Synagogue and former spiritual head of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation, told J-wire . “A deliberate decision has made to override the Jewish community’s acknowledged rights. This is a case of misplaced values, bad science and bad legislation.

“There is a strong body of veterinary and animal welfare research which continues to confirm shechita [Jewish slaughter] as a humane method of slaughter of the highest standard.

The ban effectively will keep Jews from eating fresh chicken. Importing kosher beef is permitted, but the law now bars importing unprocessed chicken.

In the United States, the Humane Slaughter Act (7 U.S.C. section 1901), which has been upheld as constitutional, specifically exempts ritual slaughterl.

(IsraelNationalNews.com)

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13 Comments

  • A Chassidish, Vegan Girl!

    I am a religious vegan, meaning I wish not to be associated with any of these PETA idiots. Still these news shock me, first Rubashkin case and now this. Instead of approaching the problem of animal cruelty that starts in the breeding factories they attack the Jewish industry. The laws of Kashrut is based on SCIENCE, we already know that animals will barely feel anything as they are slaughtered. This discrimination sickens me!!

  • Rabbi Yochanan-s reason

    Rabbi Yochanan sais the govt. bans shchita if the foreleg cheeks and abomasum are not given (sounds far fetched huh?).

    see Gemara Yevamos 63b (and Maharsha), or wiki for the full scoop:

    May 30, 2010 9:20pm

  • Rabbi Pinchos Woolstone

    Where was the photograph of Rabbi Osdoba taken
    Who is the onsite Rav HaMachshir for the beef and chicken under the CHBD presently.
    Is the Shechita Beis Yosef Glatt?.

  • Rabbi Yochanan-s reason (ii)

    here is the gemara (according to the aruch):
    With the intent on relaying the divine consequence of neglecting the gift giving in the Diaspora, the Talmud tells the following story;
    “Rabbi, Rabbi! The Zoroastrians have come to power in Babylonia!” Rabbi Yochanan gasped and fell from his chair – just the thought of his fellow Jews in the Diaspora submitting to the strange decrees of the worshippers of Ahura Mazda left him in total shock. “Be at ease, dear leader,” his students comforted him, “they can be bought off with money”.
    Rabbi Yochanan, getting back onto his chair listened as his pupils briefed him on the particular decree the Zoroastrians put forth. “They refuse to let us Kosher-slaughter our animals.” The Rabbi heard them out, and – in his famously curt manner – stated the spiritual cause of this seemingly ridiculous law: ”it’s because of the gifts”.
    —Tractate Yevamot 63b

    -taken from wiki