Animals - Christmas carp sales in the Czech Republic come in for more criticism
Carp on Christmas Eve is as much a part of the festive season in the Czech Republic as Christmas goose is in Germany. However, there is growing resistance to the custom of offering and selling the fish alive in tubs. Following the discount supermarket chain Lidl, the supermarket chain Billa now no longer allows such stalls in front of its stores, as a spokeswoman for the Rewe subsidiary said on Thursday. Customers would have the option of buying pre-packed fish from the chiller cabinet in the supermarket.
It is still widespread in the Czech Republic to buy carp alive and have it gutted at the stall or to let it swim in the bathtub at home until it is slaughtered. Many people don't want to give up this tradition, even though fridges have long been found in almost every household. The"Christmas without violence" campaign has been campaigning against such methods for years. "Contrary to popular belief, the latest scientific findings show that carp are sensitive and amazingly intelligent creatures," said their spokesperson Tereza Vandrovcova.
The animal welfare organization "Compassion in World Farming" submitted a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to the parliament in Prague at the beginning of December. It calls for a legal ban on the sale of live fish. Last year, the state veterinary authority SVS inspected 760 of the more than 3,000 carp sales stalls. Abuses were found in 2.2 percent of cases. Despite the Christmas tradition, fish consumption in the Czech Republic is below the European average at around five kilos per year.
Petition to members of parliament, in Czech "Christmas without violence" campaign, in Czech
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- In Germany, Lidl, following the trend set by discount supermarkets, has stopped allowing live carp sales in front of their stores during the Christmas season, similar to how Billa in the Czech Republic has implemented a similar policy.
- Many individuals in the Czech Republic still uphold the tradition of purchasing live carp for Christmas Eve and having it slaughtered at home or gutted at a stall, a practice that is facing increasing criticism from animal welfare groups.
- The "Christmas without violence" campaign in the Czech Republic has been advocating against the cruel methods of live carp sales for years, citing that carp are sensitive and intelligent creatures, as supported by recent scientific research.
- The animal welfare organization "Compassion in World Farming" submitted a petition with over 10,000 signatures to the parliament in Prague, calling for a complete ban on the sale of live fish during the Christmas season.
- Despite the strong Christmas carp tradition in the Czech Republic, fish consumption in the country is on the lower end compared to other European nations, with the average individual consuming only around five kilograms of fish per year.
- Animal rights activists argue that the live carp sales custom should be phased out or modified in Germany and other European countries, such as the Czech Republic, to prevent causing unnecessary suffering to carp during the festive season.
Source: www.stern.de
