European Parliament 15 May 2002, WRITTEN QUESTION E-1394/02 by Caroline Lucas (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Implementation of the Hens Directive.

1. The lifting on the ban on the use of pithing rods would go a long way towards ensuring that animals which certain religious communities are allowed to slaughter in accordance with their own rites can first be stunned and then slaughtered painlessly. Now that the BSE crisis has died down, is the Commission considering the possibility of authorising the use of pithing rods once again? 2.