Kaufland commits to end the sale of live carp in Slovakia
On 23 December 2021, German retailer Kaufland made a commitment to end the sale of live carp in Slovakia, taking effect in January 2022. The commitment was made following a dialogue with our member, Humánny Pokrok.
The sale of live carp is part of the Christmas tradition for some people in Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic. This includes a bathtub ritual, whereby the Christmas carp is taken home alive in a plastic bag and then put in the family bathtub for at least one or two days before being killed, often by a repeated blow to the head with a blunt object or by cutting off the head with a knife.
A recent survey showed that 20% of Slovaks buy live carp to kill at home at Christmas, 15% buy live carp to be killed on the spot, 21% buy processed carp and 44% do not buy carp at Christmas.
Humánny Pokrok launched the campaign ‘Carp Hell’ in December 2021 to demand an end to the sale of live carp in Slovakia, gathering 7,500 signatures in a petition so far. The organisation is highlighting the sentience of carp and calling for both retailers and policymakers to put an end to this cruel practice.
In light of the latest scientific knowledge, the holidays of peace are difficult to associate with suffocating in a plastic bag or cutting off heads in full consciousness. The sale of live carp, from the beginning of the transport to the killing at home in the kitchen, is a real hell for carpMartin Smrek from Humánny Pokrok
This is a crucial step in the fight against atrocities committed every year. We are very pleased that Kaufland has once again shown that it is a market leader who is becoming more sustainable through its commitments and listening to its customers who care about animal protection. I think it is also an inspiration for other companies in Slovakia, which with their standards should also take the side of carp and improve their living conditions, as Kaufland has done today.Miroslava Roháčová from Humánny Pokrok.
