Alexandria, VA City Council Approves Halal Chicken Slaughterhouse

Concerned residents attended the legislative meeting on Tuesday, after a vote for the controversial live poultry butchery was deferred during the March 16 public hearing. (Photo Credit: Cody Mello-Klein, Alexandria Times, March 28.)

Citizens with signs

“I never want anyone to say
they . . . don’t know how I
arrived at a decision”.

Justin Wilson quote from
Washington Post December 21,
2018

Mayor how did you and zoning
make this deal behind doors and
not first hear the interests of the
businesses and citizens?

Alexandria City Charter CHAPTER 2 -

Section 204(m)

“prevent slaughterhouses or other
offensive business within the city”

Section 204(j)

“prohibit the exercise of any dangerous,
offensive, or unhealthful business, trade or
employment, and the transportation of
any offensive or dangerous substance”

Section 204(q)

“prevent cruelty to and abuse of animals”

Section 204(p)

“Prevent the keeping of fowl”

United Poultry Concerns update:

On March 19th, we published UPC Supports Opposition to Chicken Slaughterhouse in Alexandria, Virginia about a plan to put a chicken slaughterhouse in Alexandria, Virginia. Ignoring protest from business owners and residents, the City Council of this Washington, DC suburb voted 5 to 2 on March 26th to issue a special use permit to Saba Live Poultry, whose owners lied on their application that their process of butchering birds under Islamic law “ensures the humane treatment of animals during the process.”
See Council approves live poultry butchery.

Councilman Canek Aguirre told the legislative meeting March 26th that the slaughterhouse is “something Alexandria needs.” He and his side ignored “the ethical concerns raised by many residents,” asserting “the realities of our society that we do consume meat and meat products.”

To “minimize interference with surrounding businesses,” an amendment to the permit requires that the birds must be delivered overnight between 11pm and 6am. Let us imagine their feelings as they are being driven through the night to the filthy, violent place where they will be murdered.

Painting of a hand holding a bloody dagger and a hen with tears
(Beth Clifton collage)

For an account of ethnic slaughter markets, see

Live animal markets in New York City: a cut-throat business at best

AUGUST 22, 2018 BY MERRITT CLIFTON