France Clarifies Halal Meat Regulations, Dispels Ban Rumors Ahead of Ramadan

This rumor of a ban on halal meat resurfaces a few days before the month of Ramadan. On March 18, the mosques of Paris, Lyon and Evry had indicated in a joint press release that "from July 2021, halal slaughter of poultry in France will no longer be authorized". They based their decision on a directive from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food dated November 23, 2020 which, according to the Ministry of Agriculture quoted by AFP, aimed "simply to provide additional details on the previous conditions for the application and control" of slaughter, and mainly on "the implementation of the derogation from the obligation to stun".

Now, two options are possible for halal slaughter of poultry: killing without stunning which requires slaughter lines (the most expensive process) and killing by stunning, contrary to European regulations, which consists of causing the animal to lose consciousness by immersing it in an electric bath. It is this last option that has been chosen by the three major mosques, which nevertheless fear a drop in consumption of traditionally slaughtered meat.