States may prohibit Jewish and Islamic religious communities from slaughtering animals by bleeding them without anaesthesia, according to a landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

In their decision published on Tuesday, the Strasbourg judges rejected a class action brought by Jews and Muslims from Belgium who had opposed a ban on the grounds that it violated religious freedom.

The Flemish and Walloon regions of Belgium ban the practice, but the Brussels region still allows it.

According to the Convention on Human Rights, freedom of religion may be restricted if this is necessary for public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. The ECtHR has now interpreted the protection of public morals for the first time with regard to animal welfare.