Ban on halal and kosher meat upheld

Human rights court dismisses challenges to regional laws in Belgium

An effective ban on the production of halal and kosher meat in most of Belgium is permitted by the human rights convention, the European Court of Human Rights decided today.

Ruling on the issue for the first time, human rights judges dismissed challenges to regional laws that prevent the slaughter of animals without prior stunning.

A similar challenge was dismissed by the EU’s court of justice in 2020.

Meat production in accordance with Muslim and Jewish requirements was permitted in the northern, Dutch-speaking Flemish region until 2017 and in the southern, French-speaking Walloon region until 2018.

It is still allowed in the much smaller, bilingual Brussels-Capital region.

Many products are certified as both halal and kosher

The case was brought by representatives of Belgium’s Muslim communities, including Turkish and Moroccan groups, as well as by individual Belgian Muslims and Jews.