France to Ban Ritual Halal Slaughter of Poultry, Muslim Leaders Seek Urgent Talks

"The heads of the Great Mosque of Paris, the Great Mosque of Lyon and the Great Mosque of Évry, holders of the interministerial approval authorizing them to issue authorizations for the practice of ritual sacrifice, and ensuring the halal certification of meats and products intended for consumption by the Muslim community, met on Monday, March 15, 2021 at the Great Mosque of Paris to examine the ways and means of raising awareness among the public authorities on the dramatic situation that Muslims in France risk living through following the publication of the technical instruction DGAL/SDSSA/2020-722 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food dated 23/11/2020," the religious authorities state.

They note that this instruction, which aims to "official controls relating to animal welfare in poultry slaughterhouses at the time of their killing", now imposes slaughter conditions that do not allow for the dogmatic and fundamental principles of halal ritual slaughter to be met. They also deplore "a bad message that is being sent to the Muslim community on the eve of Ramadan." In this context, from July 2021, the ritual halal slaughter of poultry in France will no longer be authorized," the religious authorities specify.

"The heads of the Great Mosques have already expressed their concerns to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture, without however achieving a satisfactory result, allowing to ensure the respect of the principles of halal ritual slaughter as it was practiced until now," states the same source. They consider that these provisions are a serious obstacle to the free exercise of worship, and intend to take all legal actions to restore this fundamental right.

"The undersigned leaders have approached other religious leaders, in particular of the Jewish faith in France, in order to exchange with them on this serious issue. If this provision were to be implemented, the conditions required to allow Muslims to consume meats in accordance with their rite, by virtue of the fundamental principle of freedom of worship, would no longer be guaranteed," the press release also states, adding that the heads of the Great Mosques are asking the Minister of Agriculture to receive them urgently to hear them on this issue.