Government denies Le Pen's claims over halal meat

The French food ministry has denied claims by the leader of the extreme right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, that all meat distributed in the Parisian region is ‘halal’ – slaughtered according to Islamic law. 

Reuters/Pascal Rossignol

A spokesman for the ministry said a law in place since the beginning of the year states that halal meat can only by provided by suppliers on demand and not systematically.

“If abattoirs are near a muslim or a jewish community then they can supply that community and therefore they must work in accordance with islamic or kosher customs,” he said.

On Saturday, Le Pen claimed all meat in the Parisian region was without exception halal and said she was going to take some of the most well-known supermarket chains to court over charges they were misleading consumers.

“The situation is a real cover-up,” she told a meeting in Lille. “The government has known about this situation for a month.” She added she had proof to back up her claim.

But Dominque Langlois, president of the association which represents meat suppliers in France denounced Le Pen’s claims as a “political move”

“ To suggest that all commercial meat in Paris or the Paris region is halal is completely wrong and does not reflect the truth,” he said in an interview on France Inter radio.