The rabbi of the Jewish community in Amsterdam, Rabbi Eliezer Wolf, announced on Thursday that the initiative to limit kosher slaughter in the Netherlands has been shelved.
Earlier on Thursday, the Organization of Jewish Communities in the Netherlands (NIK) said it had reached an agreement with the Dutch government to protect kosher slaughter (shechita) in the country.
NIK President Jonathan Soesman and General Director Ruben Vis, together with representatives of the slaughter industry and the Muslim community, signed an agreement with the minister of agriculture that extended the existing deal protecting shechita made in 2012.
This will mean that the Dutch community can continue shechita, with the new arrangement coming into force on January 1, 2018.
Rabbi Wolf, a member of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis, said that following a report against the slaughter by the Vanningen University, the Dutch Cabinet Secretary asked for a bill to limit kosher slaughter to be approved, according to which slaughter would only be carried out for the community, the export of meat slaughtered in the Netherlands will be prohibited and the animal's death shall be determined by a veterinarian.
Rabbi Wolf explained that imposing a ban on exports would have made kosher slaughter economically unprofitable and would have led to the cessation of kosher slaughter in the Netherlands.
Following Soesman's meeting with Dutch officials, the bill was reformulated so that it would not harm exports and so that the moment of death is not determined by a veterinarian. According to the proposal, kosher slaughter will be carried out in the Netherlands according to the needs of the community, and the slaughter for export purposes will continue as well, since the needs of the community require export in order to make it economically worthwhile.
It was also determined that the animal's moment of death would be determined by the ritual slaughterer. The proposed bill is expected to be approved by both Houses of Parliament in the Netherlands.
In late 2011, the upper house of the Dutch parliament rejected a proposed bill to ban Jewish kosher slaughter of animals on the ground that it violates freedom of religion.
Earlier that year, the Dutch parliament voted in favor of the legislation. The bill claimed that there is evidence that the practice of kosher slaughtering causes animals unnecessary pain and suffering. This claim is roundly denied by experts on Jewish slaughter.
Following this, the Dutch government reached an agreement with Jewish and Muslim leaders setting certain standards for ritual slaughter, including a 40-second limit on the time between stunning of the animals before their necks are cut. The sides also agreed to hold research-based consultations between government officials and religious community leaders on balancing animal welfare with religious freedoms.
On Thursday, the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) congratulated NIK following their agreement with the Dutch government to protect shechita in the country.
“This is a huge step forward for religious rights in Europe. The Dutch government has shown its loyalty to religious communities and we are incredibly grateful. I would also like to pay tribute to the NIK for the work they have done in bringing this about and I hope that this will set a precedent for other religious communities as they seek to maintain shechita and other religious practices,” said Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the CER.