Kosher Slaughtering: Beating The Critics At Their Own Game

Currently, the Jews in Europe have a partial victory--as of June--when it comes to shechitah:

The European Union Council of Agricultural Ministers officially recognized shechitah – Jewish kosher slaughter – on Monday. The Council voted not only to recognize shechitah, but also to require that kosher meat be traded and sold freely in every EU member state.

However, individual states may still reserve the right to "invoke stricter guidelines" regarding shechitah. Thus, the five EU countries that currently ban Jewish slaughter – Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia – will apparently not have to change their laws.

But maybe there is a way to satisfy even those 5 countries--if painless is what thy want, then painless they will get:

Most people don't think too much about bovine hurt when they chow down on a Big Mac or Whopper. But for those with moral pangs, scientists say genetic engineering might provide a solution, by creating pain-free animals that can satiate the human appetite without suffering.

A paper published this month in the journal Neuroethics argues for minimizing animal suffering by creating beasts that lack the ability to sense pain.

...Lab experiments with mice have also suggested a way to disconnect that pain sensation without totally leaving animals vulnerable to a world of hurt.

Of course there are halachic (Jewish religious legal) questions to consider.
I suppose there would be halachic issues with this other option as well:

Scientists in the Netherlands have grown minced pork in a dish by adding water, glucose and amino acids to pig stem cells. Expect artificial ground meat by 2012 and bacon within the decade.

Assuming the same can be done with beef where the original cow has been shechted properly, would there be any problem with this kind of meat?

This could open up all kinds of possibilities.

[Hat tip: Instapundit]

Technorati Tag: Shechitah.