MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) has suggested two new laws which could help prevent animal cruelty. His proposals come on the heels of revelations of animal cruelty at the Zoglovek meat company. An expose by Channel 10 news showed serious mistreatment of poultry. Among other things, chickens were shaken until they fell on a conveyor belt bringing them to slaughter – a process that killed some of the birds by ripping them apart.

Animal right activists stand with dead bodies of chickens in their hands, wearing a T-shirt that reads: “Their lives are in your hands”. The performance called to close and boycott the meat company “Zoglovek” after an investigation revealed harsh animal treatment in the company’s meat production, Tel-Aviv, November 1, 2013. (Photo: Activestills)

Corporations and those that head them should be held responsible for animal abuse in their factories and slaughterhouses, Khenin proposed. “Last week some disturbing images from the Zoglovek slaughterhouse were exposed… We saw how a factory treats living creatures like raw material, and neglects their basic welfare,” he said, introducing his law.

After animal abuse was revealed at the Tnuva’s slaughterhouse, only lower-level staff and managers were held responsible, he noted, “while the company and its directors were not brought to justice.” His first bill will allow corporations and their directors to be charged with neglect if animals are abused in the company’s workplaces, he explained. The second bill would be added to an existing law protecting consumers, he said. It would make it illegal to mislead consumers regarding the treatment of animals or the use of animal products in a product. Many Members of Knesset from both the coalition and opposition have already signed in support of Khenin’s bills.