Strasbourg rules that prohibiting animal sacrifice with 'halal' and 'kosher' rites does not restrict religious freedom. In the first European ruling linking religious freedom and animal welfare, the court considers that it does not discriminate against the Muslim and Jewish religions.
The prohibition in countries such as Belgium on the slaughter of livestock without prior stunning, for the sake of animal welfare does not represent a restriction on religious freedom, it says. It is a pioneering ruling, since it links religious freedom with animal welfare for the first time.