 The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended in 2004 that "due to the serious animal welfare concerns associated with slaughter without stunning, pre-cut stunning should always be performed".The 22 June 2009 EU Slaughter Regulation, approved by the EU Agriculture Council, allowed religious slaughter without stunning to continue.A total ban of unstunned ritual slaughter was ruled unconstitutional by the Austrian Constitutional Court

Post-cut stunned slaughter was introduced as the minimum in the province of Lower Austria in 2001.