N-VA urgently calls for a ban on slaughter without stunning in Brussels

In the Brussels Parliament, Mathias Vanden Borre has submitted the Animal Welfare Code, a comprehensive package of measures aimed at strengthening the protection of animals. A key pillar of the proposal is a ban on slaughter without stunning. “For ten years now, my party has been working to put an end to this cruel practice. I am calling for the Code to be placed on the agenda as a matter of urgency and dealt with swiftly in the Environment Committee,” he said.

According to GAIA, around 30,000 animals are still slaughtered each year in Brussels without prior stunning. Scientific studies show that animals remain conscious for several minutes during slaughter without stunning, causing unimaginable suffering. Veterinary associations in Belgium and across Europe are therefore unanimously opposed to this practice.

Following the example of Flanders and Wallonia

Since 2019, slaughter without stunning has been banned in Flanders and Wallonia. In both regions, the ban was adopted almost unanimously by the regional parliaments.

“While Flanders and Wallonia have outlawed this cruel practice, Brussels remains the only region lagging behind. Every year of delay means that 30,000 animals continue to suffer unnecessarily. It is no longer acceptable for political games to take precedence over animal welfare. This version of the Code mirrors the provision in the Flemish decree and therefore differs from the proposals put forward by DéFI and Groen,” said Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre.

The N-VA is calling on the Brussels Parliament to take immediate action and make animal welfare a top priority.