|
Agriculture Secretary OK's Kosher Slaughter
Arutz Sheva
Tuesday, December 14,
“What I saw today was humane," said Iowa's Sec'y of Agriculture, after a
tour of a large kosher slaughterhouse on Sunday. She had originally said
she was "disturbed" by kosher slaughter practices.
"It was quick and there was absolutely no problem with the way [the
cattle] were handled," said Secretary Patty Judge after touring the
AgriProcessors plant on Sunday.
Ms. Judge toured the processing plant after PETA (People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals) released a videotape showing animals in distress
following slaughter. She had originally said that she was "disturbed" by
the video, and called for a possible state investigation. She changed her
mind, however, during her visit to the the world's largest supplier of
glatt (extra-stringent) kosher meat products.
Officials at the Orthodox Union, the world's largest Kashrut-certifying
organization, expressed satisfaction at Secretary Judge’s comments. “We
are gratified that a personal inspection tour of AgriProcessors by Iowa’s
Secretary of Agriculture, Patty Judge, made it clear that kosher slaughter
there is done humanely,” declared Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice
President of the Orthodox Union, and Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbinic
Administrator of the OU Kosher division. "Clearly, humane slaughter goes
on at the AgriProcessors plant, in conformity with the laws of Torah which
make it clear that humanity to animals is a religious requirement in
Judaism.”
In a statement issued several days earlier, Rabbis Weinreb and Genack
declared:
“After carefully studying the [PETA] video, Rabbi Menachem Genack and
Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, one of the OU’s distinguished poskim (rabbinic
decisors), traveled to Postville, Iowa to review the procedures at the
AgriProcessors plant. They found that these procedures meet all OU
standards to the highest degree, and that the shochtim (rabbinic
slaughters) are all highly proficient, skilled and knowledgeable.
Nevertheless, the OU and AgriProcessors, Inc. have worked together to make
certain changes, namely that the trachea will no longer be removed
following shechita (kosher slaughter), and that any animals that appear to
have survived the procedure will be promptly stunned or shot.”
“This was the first time I had an opportunity to see kosher slaughter,"
Secretary Judge said. "I was glad to see how it works." She said she saw
three cattle slaughtered, and that they were rendered insensible and
unconscious within “two or three seconds” after the shochet's cut.
“Slaughter is never pleasant, but it was humane, quick, and I have no
problem with the way those animals were being treated," Secretary Judge
said. "The rabbis slaughtering the chickens were much more gentle than my
grandmother was on our farm when I was a child."
"If done correctly under kosher law, the technique ensures quick and
painless death," according to officials quoted in the Des Moines Register,
an Iowa newspaper.
--Arutz Sheva
|
|
Rabbi Dr. I.M. Levinger, International Veterinary Expert on Kosher
Slaughter, Praises Procedures at AgriProcessors
Postville, Iowa,
December 21, 2004…Rabbi I.M. Levinger (DVM PhD), one of the world’s
foremost experts on animal welfare and kosher slaughter (schechita), today
called schechita practices at the AgriProcessors plant “professional and
efficient.” Dr. Levinger, a Veterinary Surgeon and Physiologist, made his
remarks at the end of a 3-day intense review of schechita practices and
animal treatment at the plant.
Dr. Levinger in his
statement noted “that in the process of handling the animals prior to
schechita, care was taken to lead the animal into the pen in a most humane
manner.”
As part of his review,
the international veterinary expert particularly focused on the schechita
process: Dr. Levinger observed:” The rabbis performing shechita impressed
me as experts in their profession. The cut was done in an expeditious
manner, cutting the trachea and esophagus and severing the carotid
arteries and jugular veins. It is my impression that schechita in this
facility is performed in accordance with the highest standards of kosher
handling. The behavior of the animals seem to be in accordance with the
observations recorded in my book “Schechita in The Light of The Year
2000.”
Dr. Levinger’s
impressive credentials include many studies on the physiology of animals
during the schechita process. He has often been called on as an expert
witness by many international bodies, particularly in Europe. During his
visit to AgriProcessoprs, he carefully studied the physiological effects
on the animals and concluded that they were fully within the confines of
humane treatment. Dr. Levinger shared his findings with rabbis and
certification agencies.
www.ou.org |
