New Device for Kosher Slaughter Being Tested by Ohio State University

An agreement to evaluate a device to eliminate shackling and hoisting of small food animals, without violation of Jewish ritual slaughter requirements, was announced today by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Ohio State University.

The Society has sponsored development of both the Small Animal Holding Pen and the Large Animal Holding Pen. The latter has been approved by Orthodox Jewish organizations, and is now in use in various cities for kosher slaughter of large food animals. The ASPCA holding pens were designed primarily to harmonize new anti-hoisting concepts with Jewish ritual slaughter requirements, and both devices are being made available to the meat industry without royalties and without profits to the ASPCA.

The Joint Advisory Committee of the National Community Relations Advisory Council and the Synagogue Council of America has cooperated with the ASPCA program.

A prototype of the second device, known as the ASPCA Small Animal Holding Pen, is now under construction by the Cincinnati Butchers’ Supply Company. It will be installed at Ohio State University for testing by the animal science department of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics.

James H. Jenkins, ASPCA president, in announcing the evaluation plan, noted that the ASPCA program has had Orthodox rabbinical support as well as favorable consideration by the Meat Inspection Division of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

Development of the devices ended a long-standing dispute between the ASPCA and Jewish organizations. The ASPCA agreed that Jewish ritual slaughter was humane, but contended that animals suffered in pre-slaughter handling because of the ritual requirement that animals must be conscious at slaughter. Dean Roy M. Kottman, of the Ohio State University College of Agriculture, said he could not indicate immediately how much time would be needed to determine whether the small pen was practical.