Holland's Party for Freedom, led by the combative Geert Wilders, is among those backing a new bill which would effectively end shechitah there through compulsory stunning. Mr Wilders was once barred from Britain because of his views on Muslims - he has called for a ban on the Koran - although he was allowed in last year.

Now Isi Leibler, the outspoken ex-Aussie Jewish leader, has sought the aid of Mr Wilders in lifting the threat to kosher meat, appealing in an open letter to him as "a friend of Israel and the Jewish people".