Estonia Plans To Tighten Regulation of Kosher Slaughtering

JTA reports today that in Estonia, Sirje Jalakas, the head of the country's Animal Welfare Bureau, says that Estonia plans to change its laws governing kosher slaughter of animals in light of the 2010 DialRel report that says kosher slaughter causes higher risk of pain in animals than methods that involve stunning the animals before slaughter. However, Jalakas says that Estonia will not ban kosher slaughter, and the country's chief rabbi says that authorities are consulting him on the proposed changes. Estonia already has strict regulation of kosher slaughter.  Authorities must be notified at least 10 days in advance of each slaughter, and the procedure is overseen by a government inspector.  Animals are stunned immediately after their throats are cut-- a procedure known as post-cut stunning and which is not approved by all rabbis.