The European Court of Justice rules non-stun slaughter bans do not violate rights to religious freedom or non-discrimination under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. THREAD https://twitter.com/EUCourtPress/status/1339491238169460737

Rulings like these are a dilemma for human and animal rights advocates. On the one hand we don't want violent practices against animals protected in the name of human rights but nor do we want animal protection measures applied in a way that disproportionately targets minorities.

This dilemma is generated by 'animal welfarism'. Animal welfarism's culturally arbitrary conception of 'cruelty' or 'unnecessary suffering' has an inherent tendency to target minority practices.

Hence, across the EU, bullfighting, angling, trapping and fur and foie gras production are perfectly legal in countries where they reflect prevailing cultural practices or economic interests even though they all inflict huge suffering.

When it comes to banning what are deemed cruel practices, it's almost invariably minority practices that are targeted, including the practices of ethnic and religious minorities. Such minorities challenge what they perceive, with considerable justification, as discrimination.

This challenge takes the form of human rights litigation. The minority argue their practices should be legally protected. This is problematic for animal rights advocates who don't want violence against animals - whether it's a majority or minority practice - protected as rights

Hence the dilemma. Ultimately the only way out of the dilemma is to abandon animal welfarism in favour of a consistent animal rights framework. An animal rights framework would prohibit all cruel and exploitative practices relating to animals, both majority and minority.

Sadly, we're a long way from realising this, so we'll see the dilemma re-appear in different guises. In the meantime we all at least need to take stock and interrogate the treatment of animals 'we' are prepared to tolerate before casting aspersions on the practices of 'others'.