The actual number in that year was 7.06 million, according to the General Directorate of Veterinary (DGAV) data.
Claims: “250 million animals slaughtered by Islamic method in 2023” and “12 million between 2017 and 2021”
In April, during the legislative debates between Chega and PAN, Chega’s vice-president Pedro Frazão reiterated a complaint from himself and other party deputies, stating that “only in 2023, according to official numbers, 250 million animals were cold-bloodedly slaughtered by the Muslim halal method in Portugal” and challenged the Polígrafo newspaper to refute these claims.
Through a publication on social media, veterinarian Pedro Frazão included his similar complaint published at the end of January on various social platforms, asserting that “in recent years, Portugal has witnessed an explosion of halal slaughter, a method that disrespects animal welfare and goes against our society’s values.”
On January 30, in a tweet accompanied by a video featuring statements from himself and deputy Cristina Rodrigues, Pedro Frazão claimed that Portugal moved “from 12 million animals slaughtered by the Islamic method in five years (2017-2021) to an unbelievable 250 million in just 2023,” which he considers “a brutal attack on our principles.”
In the video viewed by thousands, also shared by Chega deputy Cristina Rodrigues, the same claim was reaffirmed: “between 2017 and 2021 there was a total of 12 million animals slaughtered with religious slaughter,” and “currently, in 2023 alone, 250 million animals were slaughtered for human consumption through this religious method.”
Facts: In 2023, 7.06 million animals were slaughtered by the halal method, less than 3% of the claimed number
Although public statistics do not specify how many animals are slaughtered according to halal (Muslim) and kosher (Jewish) religious rites, information currently available from the DGAV indicates that 255 million is the total number of animals slaughtered or prepared for human consumption nationwide in 2023.
To verify the claims made by Chega deputies, Lusa requested detailed information from this public body and received detailed statistical data dating back to 2020.
These data and responses show that “religious slaughter accounts for only a very small fraction of national production, clearly far short of the publicly mentioned 250 million,” explained the DGAV’s director-general.
According to Susana Guedes Pombo, “in 2023, the number of animals slaughtered according to the halal religious rite was 7,059,669 animals [99.84% poultry], equivalent to 2.86% of the total animals slaughtered” in the categories of poultry, cattle, goats, and sheep, where halal slaughter is practiced.
This percentage drops to 2.77% of the total animals slaughtered in 2023 when considering all categories, including rabbits, pigs, wild game, and animals slaughtered for sanitary or emergency reasons, scenarios or species without halal slaughter, totaling 255,219,650 animals slaughtered that year.
The deputies also claim that “between 2017 and 2021 there was a total of 12 million animals slaughtered with religious slaughter,” but only between 2020 and 2021 was this figure practically reached, with 11,928,454 animals slaughtered by this method.
Indeed, there was almost a 130% increase in halal slaughter, from 4,097,267 animals slaughtered in 2020 to 9,410,000 in 2024, rising from 1.79% to 3.70% of the share of halal slaughter in the categories of poultry, cattle, goats, and sheep.
Summary of DGAV data for the period 2020/2024
(only species with halal slaughter)
Year Animals slaughtered Halal slaughter % Halal slaughter % halal slaughter with stunning ============================================================================================== 2020 229,384,276 4,097,267 1.79 100% 2021 228,671,289 7,831,187 3.42 99.97% 2022 238,711,818 8,290,713 3.47 99.66% 2023 247,160,337 7,059,669 2.86 99.99% 2024 254,217,924 9,410,000 3.70 99.52%
DGAV’s official data also indicate that halal religious slaughter represents only 3.06% (36.6 million) of the more than 1.198 billion animals slaughtered between 2020 and 2024, considering only categories where halal slaughter occurs, meaning the percentage relative to the total is lower.
Meanwhile, kosher slaughter involved 51,556 animals in 2024, just 0.02% of the total, marking the first year this Jewish practice was carried out in Portugal.
Claim: “Animals are slaughtered cold-bloodedly”
In the January 30 tweet, Pedro Frazão stated, “Portugal cannot continue to allow these barbaric practices to overshadow animal welfare laws,” and in the accompanying video, deputy Cristina Rodrigues highlighted that “the exponential increase in Islamic immigration also impacts animals, for whom mistreatment has increased.”
In the video, Pedro Frazão described that “this halal religious method is completely different from the more humane method we practice in Europe, where our slaughter method causes desensitization of the animal before it is killed, whereas in halal, this does not happen, and animals are slaughtered cold-bloodedly,” a practice he also calls “grotesque.”
Facts: Religious slaughter respects animal welfare rules
According to Islamic doctrine, “halal” refers to food that is “lawful” or “permissible” by Allah and excludes “blood, pork, and anything sacrificed under invocation of anyone other than God,” as explained by the Halal Institute of Portugal (IHP). Foods not adhering to these principles are considered “haram,” or prohibited, except in life-threatening situations.
Among other specifics, animals for halal consumption must be bled at the time of slaughter, which is always done manually by cutting the trachea, esophagus, carotids, and jugular in a single movement.
In Portugal, “slaughter according to religious rite is subject to special authorization by the DGAV, as it constitutes a derogation under Article 4(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009, of September 24, on the protection of animals at the time of killing.”
This legal framework permits slaughter with or without stunning, but “operators must ensure full compliance with applicable legislation, with authorization granted only after a complete assessment of the procedure, infrastructure, and available equipment,” as explained in Technical Clarification No. 10/DGAV/2024, which imposes animal welfare requirements.
However, according to DGAV’s information, it is not true that there is no desensitization in halal slaughter. In fact, over the last five years, between 100% (2020) and 99.52% (2024) of halal slaughters were conducted with some form of stunning. In 2023, for instance, 99.9% of animals slaughtered according to this religious rite were pre-stunned.
Beyond European and national legislation on this matter, since 2018, Portugal has had a Portuguese Quality Institute (IPQ) standard allowing certification of this type of product, notably through the Halal Institute of Portugal.
The NP 4559:2018 encompasses all requirements for the production, storage, and shipment of halal fresh meat, including conditions for slaughter with and without prior stunning.
In the case of slaughter with stunning, it should not cause the animal’s death, hence termed simple or reversible stunning. The goal is to ensure “an adequate loss of consciousness state, but that does not cause the animal’s death before bleeding.”
The methods outlined in this standard include electrical stunning at the head (rabbits, cattle, sheep, and goats) or body (poultry) and the use of retractable penetrating captive bolt pistols (cattle, sheep, and goats), as stipulated in Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009. The use of a non-penetrating captive bolt gun is a method not regularly used and is only intended for ruminants weighing less than 10 kg.
According to the CEO of IHP, a private non-profit institution certifying this type of slaughter, “it is categorically possible to say that Portuguese and European legislation, particularly concerning animal welfare, is fully integrated within the Halal standards” adopted by IHP, hence “the allegation that animals subjected to Halal slaughter in Portugal receive different treatment than those in conventional slaughter is incorrect.”
Contradictory
On Thursday, Lusa Verifica contacted deputies Pedro Frazão and Cristina Rodrigues via email regarding the origin of the “official data” they shared on social media, explaining that they differ from the official numbers provided by DGAV, but received no response before the publication of this fact check.
Conclusion by Lusa Verifica: FALSE
Lusa Verifica’s fact-check concludes that it is false that the number of animals slaughtered by the halal method in Portugal increased from 12 million, between 2017 and 2021, to 250 million in 2023 alone, and that it is carried out without any kind of desensitization.
Not only is the figure attributed to 2023 about 35 times higher than the actual 7.06 million animals slaughtered, but more than 99.9% of these halal slaughters were performed with prior stunning, a percentage that never dropped below 99.5% in the past five years.
