Belgium bans traditional halal and kosher slaughter method sparking religious backlash

Traditional methods of halal and kosher animal slaughter will be banned across most of Belgium within months, sparking a backlash from Jewish and Muslim communities.

Traditional methods of halal and kosher animal slaughter will be banned across most of Belgium within months, sparking a backlash from Jewish and Muslim communities.

Animal slaughter without pre-stunning was banned in the region of Flanders, in the north of Belgium, on January 1. And Wallonia, the French-speaking region of southern Belgium, is set to introduce a ban in September.

Brussels is the only region which has not adopted the controversial measure.

Under the new law animals must be stunned before being slaughtered, which animal rights campaigners argue is more humane.

However, traditional halal and kosher rituals involve cutting the animals throat without stunning the animal first.