Establishing a Dialogue Between Science, Society and Religion About Religious Slaughter: The Experience of the European Funded Project Dialrel

The Dialrel project represented an opportunity for a dialogue between the Muslim and Jewish religious authorities, the scientific authorities, the representatives of many animal welfare organizations, and representatives of the meat supply chain to address the welfare of farm animals at time of killing and the transparency of the meat markets. An important part of the Dialrel project involved gaining a better understanding of the views and concerns of Muslim and Jewish consumers across Europe. In particular, the project sought to expand knowledge about the range of requirements and expectations that Muslim and Jewish consumers had about halal and kosher foods, and how these varied across countries and between different socio‐cultural groups. The research also explored consumers’ knowledge and views of religious slaughtering practices, with specific attention given to the issue of stunning.