Lithuanian officials decided to support local livestock farms in quite an original way. According to politicians, the law of ritual slaughtering can compensate farmers for losses. The parliament responded positively to the proposal of the government saying that the new law will open up new markets and will compensate for losses caused by Russian sanctions, a move Russia took in response to the restrictive measures of the European Union. It introduced counter-sanctions on imports of certain European goods, including food products. Under the new law, the slaughter of animals can now be carried out without prior stunning. It is noteworthy that a similar measure was previously banned. Representatives of large farming communities of Lithuania supported the idea and expressed hope that this will allow them to export their products to Muslim countries. New markets are the only possible way out of the situation. Speaking in support of the amendments to the legislation, Lithuanian politician Kazis Starkyavichyus stressed that "ritual slaughter is a more humane method of killing.” However, there are a huge number of opponents of such a method throughout the world. The Lithuanian Animal Rights Protection Organization believes that the amendments to the law will be a big step backwards regarding the protection of animal rights.
