Kosher foods, particularly meat, have requirements that do not allow most meats to carry the kosher label. When you add the idea of humane slaughter to the issue, it becomes even more unlikely that the small farmer can offer this product to their local community.
With just a little understanding of ancient tradition and acknowledgement of contemporary standards, the small farmer can, I believe, meat (pun intended) at least some of the need of his local Kosher community. Of course, this understanding and acknowledgement extends beyond the small farmer to those in the kosher community.
One small example is the chicken. With modern technology, a chicken can be killed by cutting the artery as specified in kosher slaughter practices, while simultaneously rendering the bird unconscious. This satisfies both the kosher practice and those who advocate the humane treatment of animals. This is the way it is done here at Cota Farms.
Rather than look for a reason why this does not satisfy the kosher slaughter practice, it is better to consider why the purely kosher technique is only humane when done perfectly. And this is only theoretical as we can not ask the animal “did that hurt”. Where as, if the animal is rendered unconscious, yet its heart still beats, there is no need to question if the kill was done perfectly. It must also be granted that no one can always do this perfectly.
