France Enforces Strict Rules for Eid Al Adha Animal Slaughter, Warns of Heavy Fines

Thus, any ritual slaughter of animals outside an approved slaughterhouse is strictly prohibited and constitutes a criminal offense punishable by 6 months’ imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 euros, the department specified, adding that the animals must be properly identified (tags) and accompanied by a movement document issued by the seller.

The department also stresses that animals intended for ritual slaughter, like any animal intended for slaughter, must be transported under suitable conditions. Any failure to comply with this provision is punishable by a fine of 750 euros, it recalled.

As for the handling of animals, the circular specifies that those brought to the slaughterhouse must be clean and if possible without excessive wool in order to allow the carcasses to be processed under good conditions. For public health reasons, the carcasses will be returned to individuals without the spleen and intestines; the carcasses of ewes and rams (animals over one year old) will have to have undergone the removal of the spinal cord and the head at the slaughterhouse.