A post shared on Facebook claims France banned halal slaughter ahead of Ramadan.

Verdict: False

This is based on a decision from the French Ministry of Agriculture that clarified certain regulations. It did not ban ritual slaughter. The claim has been circulating since 2021.

Fact Check:

Social media users have been sharing a claim that France banned halal, the Islamic method of slaughtering animals, just before Ramadan.

“France bans halal meats weeks before Ramadan. The UK should ban halal, the torture of defenceless animals, Muslims do not stun animals before slaughter,” one user wrote.

This claim, however, is false. The claim originated from a statement issued by three French mosques that claimed the French Ministry of Agriculture banned the practice, according to AFP Fact Check. It references a 2020 note from the French agriculture ministry about how slaughter practices are to take place in France, the outlet reported.

“This directive details different poultry slaughter practices within slaughterhouses and outlines methods for official control in respect of,” the document reads.

Halal slaughter is allowed in France, according to a 2011 religious exemption. A spokesperson for the ministry told AFP Fact Check in 2021 that the note did not end halal slaughter. (RELATED: Image Allegedly Showing Chris Evans Signing An Israeli Bomb Intended for Gaza Is Miscaptioned)

A president of one of the French mosques said to AFP Fact Check that the note did not ban the practice of halal, but would lower the quality of the meat. Full Fact also debunked this claim.