France Debates Animal Feed Rules, Sparking Halal Meat Concerns

The Muslims of France are not at the end of their (bad) surprises. At the end of 2020, the European Commission initiated a review of Regulation No. 999-2001 "laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies". The original text clearly defined the elements entering into the composition of the meals intended for the feeding of the animals whose meats are consumed, writes Muslim Post.

The new text on the use of Processed Animal Proteins (PAT) would authorize all kinds of agri-food mixtures intended for non-ruminants: foods based on insects, pork, poultry and fish. As a result, the chicken or lamb whose meat was used to make the kebabs of France could have been fed with pork remains.

For pro-PAT lobbies like the UECBV (European Livestock and Meat Trades Union) or the FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation), the reform aims, among other things, to protect the European agro-industry and livestock, to promote the vegetarian diet and to fight for animal welfare. But it seems to have overlooked the customs and habits of Muslim consumers estimated at nearly 26 million across Europe, including 4.1 million in France.

In reality, the halal nature of the animals consumed in France by Muslim citizens remains an important equation to be solved, in addition to halal slaughter. In March, a rumor had announced the ban, as of July 2021, on the ritual halal slaughter of poultry, the halal slaughter of chicken in France, following a directive of November 23, 2020. Kamel Kabtane, rector of the Grand Mosque of Lyon, had denounced the measure: "Before, the animals were stunned, but after two minutes they became mobile again. With these new standards [ed: suppression of electronic stunning, contrary to ritual sacrifice], all our animals were dead!" The rumor was finally denied a few days later, on March 27, by the French Minister of Agriculture and Food, Julien Denormandie.

In October 2020, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had also made remarks that discriminated against Muslims. "It has always shocked me to go into a supermarket and see that there was a community cuisine section and another next to it. That’s how communalism starts," he had said.

The reform, if it were to materialize, would cause a lot of harm to Muslims who will have to refrain from consuming foods that may be contaminated by pork meat due to animal feed in livestock farms. Because it would be difficult to certify or ensure the traceability of halal meats with these new provisions.