"With the start of the new year, Belgium became the latest European country to ban traditional Jewish and Muslim animal slaughtering practices."

"The move was applauded by animal rights activists but condemned by religious leaders who see the ban as a threat to their communities. At issue is whether to allow religious exemptions to European Union rules that state animals must be knocked out before they are slaughtered, which supporters say is more humane. The United States has similar regulations, but allows for religious exemptions.... Religious leaders say minimizing an animal’s pain has always been central to their traditions, and a ritual slaughter — carried out with a sharp blade to the neck — should be quick and almost painless. When they are stunned, animals are rendered unconscious through blunt force, electric shocks, gassing or a steel bolt that penetrates an animal’s skull. Stunning has been used for decades and
'promotes animal welfare and meat quality,' according to the North American Meat Institute, a trade group that represents 95 percent of American red-meat producers.... Beyond the concern for animals, Jewish and Muslim leaders see darker motivations behind the effort to outlaw the practices. The historical precedents are grim. The Nazis also cited cruelty to animals when they prohibited slaughter without stunning in 1933."

From "Is Stunning an Animal Before Slaughter More Humane? Some Religious Leaders Say No" (NYT).