The Kashruth Council of Canada and the Jewish Community Council of Montreal have filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government, arguing that new regulations related to animal slaughter are threatening the viability of the country’s kosher food industry, as per a report by Arutz Sheva.
The plaintiffs argue that the enforcement of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) has led to a significant drop in the availability of kosher meat produced domestically, with the number of kosher meat processing plants decreasing from six to four between August 2022 and January 2023.
SFCR stipulates that animals must first be stunned before slaughter, a requirement that conflicts with Jewish kosher slaughter traditions. Animals not stunned must undergo tests to ensure they have lost consciousness and brain function before they can be processed further, which kosher authorities say complicates and lengthens the slaughtering process unnecessarily.
“Since these new guidelines have gone into effect, the amount of kosher meat produced in Canada has decreased dramatically,” the kosher agencies said in a statement earlier this week. “The community has been trying to temporarily supplement this shortfall with imported kosher meat, but this situation is not viable over the long term.”
There are approximately 350,00 Jewish people living in Canada.
