WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3925/97 by Graham MATHER to the Commission. Religious slaughter of sheep in France
Date: 1997-12-11
Institutions: European Parliament, MATHER
Subjects: France, animal welfare, health control, national law, protection of animals, public health, sheep, slaughter of animals

C 187/92

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16. 6. 98

Community financial aid may be used to fund mobility for teachers and heads of establishments involved in
European education projects, to allow them to develop a common work programme and enhance the subject
matter of the project. It is precisely because the available resources are insufficient to finance pupil mobility that
it is important for teachers to meet in order to give projects a genuine European dimension by allowing their
pupils to benefit from the results of teachers(cid:146) work in the partner countries.

It is important for the Commission, in agreement with the Member States participating in the programme, to lay
down  procedures  for  the  use  of  Community  financial  assistance  by  schools,  so  as  to  ensure  optimum  use  of
Community funds and a certain measure of coherence of activities in the Member States. As European education
projects  involve  cooperation  between  several  schools  in  several  Member  States,  it  is  necessary  to  establish
common basic rules.

(98/C 187/139)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3925/97

by Graham Mather (PPE) to the Commission

(11 December 1997)

Subject: Religious slaughter of sheep in France

In recent years, distressing images of the religious slaughter of sheep in fields in France have been witnessed by
television viewers across the Union. Allowing this to occur is clearly contrary to the spirit of the Amsterdam
Treaty  which  contains  a  protocol  on  the  protection  and  welfare  of  animals.  Therefore  while  enforcement  of
animal welfare laws is a matter for the French authorities, the Commission has an obligation to oversee this
enforcement.

1. What monitoring procedures does the Commission have in place to keep track of the uncontrolled slaughter
of sheep in France?

Is  the  Commission  satisfied  with  the  measures  that  have  been  taken  in  France  thus  far  and  with  their

2.
implementation?

By what means is the Commission seeking to ensure rigorous protection of animals against slaughter of this

3.
kind in its current negotiations with the French authorities on this issue?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(2 February 1998)

Article 14 of Directive 93/119/EC laying down certain requirements for the protection of animals at the time of
slaughter  and  killing (1)  states  that  Commission  experts  may  make  on-the-spot  checks  in  so  far  as  this  is
necessary  to  ensure  uniform  application  of  the  Directive  but,  as  for  all  animal  welfare  legislation,  the
implementation and the day-to-day enforcement is in the hands of the authorities of the Member States.

Ritual slaughter must, according to the above mentioned Directive, take place in an abattoir and must comply
with other Community public health, animal health and welfare requirements.

The Commission is not satisfied about the fact that France has permitted, in certain circumstances, the practice of
ritual  slaughter  outside  slaughterhouses.  Therefore  the  Commission  is  preparing  a  request  to  the  French
authorities  to  confirm  that  next  year  this  ritual  slaughter  will  be  organized  completely  according  to  the
Community rules concerned.

If this confirmation is not supplied, the Commission will open the infringement procedure provided for under
Article 169 of the EC Treaty.

(1)  OJ L 340, 31.12.1993.