In the UK, 58 percent of Halal meat comes from animals which have been stunned before slaughter and certified Halal. Supermarkets selling halal products also report that all animals are stunned before they are slaughtered. Figures from the Food Standards Agency say that in 2012 of those animals slaughtered in the UK according to halal rules 84% of cattle or calves, 81% of sheep and goats, and 88% of poultry were stunned before slaughter. A second, independent issue is the ruling of consuming an animal which has been stunned prior to a proper Halal slaughter. There is a viable alternative in the form of the ‘kill box’ which restrains the animal for slaughter and eliminates the need to stun. The RSPCA says slaughter without pre-stunning causes "unnecessary suffering". The stance of HFSAA is that stunning should be avoided as much as possible and Muslims in the long term should move towards removing stunning completely from Halal slaughterhouses. They use a form of electrical stunning which animals quickly recover from if not slaughtered, proving that the stunned animal is “healthy”, thereby qualifying as halal. A significant number of British Halal meat-eaters might be persuaded to switch to meat from stunned animals, if they were reassured that some forms of stunning are compatible with Halal rules, suggest the results of a survey published in Vet Record this week. If the Halal authorities were to completely reject stunned Halal meat and only accept non-stunned meat, then it would be extremely difficult to find authentic Halal meat in America. The animal is hand-slaughtered with a sharp knife. Halal is an Arabic term in Islam which means permissible, allowed. The presence of halal meat in shops and restaurants has been big news today. Supermarkets selling halal products say they stun all … "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." The halal meat market in the UK is estimated to be worth around £2.6 billion a year. However, the impermissibility of the act of stunning does not influence the lawfulness of the animal which was stunned and does NOT necessarily mean that all stunned animals are also unlawful to consume. However, all animals are stunned before commercial slaughter in New Zealand and New Zealand is a major exporter of halal meat. The law requires animals to be stunned (rendered unconscious) before slaughter. For halal and kosher consumers, meat quality has both spiritual and conventional components. At the same time, HFSAA acknowledges the scarcity of authentic Halal products and understand that stunning is needed in the short term to meet the needs of the Muslim community. A recent study that was conducted by Bristol University into the Halal meat market attained responses from 250 Muslims into their buying behaviours as well as their Halal meat & poultry preferences. It is far from the first. One preliminary point to consider when discussing the ruling of stunning is differentiating between the act of stunning and the legal status of the animal which has been slaughtered after stunning. Halal food, here, is a proxy for ... are that halal is here used as a synonym for a cruel kind of killing in which animals are slaughtered without being pre-stunned. Tesco has since clarified that in the UK, all its Tesco branded halal meat is stunned and the only difference is the prayer before slaughter. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Halal and kosher slaughter practices per se do not affect meat quality more than their conventional equivalents. With the issue of halal meat back in the news this week, we answer some of the questions you may have about the practice: Halal is the Arabic word for “lawful” or “permitted”. BUT, to check, you can ask if their meat is stunned or not, some places do have unstunned meat, just cannot afford the certification of HMC etc. SUPERMARKETS are selling halal and kosher meat from animals killed without being pre-stunned, a Sun investigation reveals. The European Parliament has approved a law change which would see compulsory labelling for all meat killed through halal slaughter without pre-stunning – but it could be years before this is implemented. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. A good percentage of Muslims are not consuming authentic Halal products, are not concerned about Halal, or cannot find authentic Halal products in their cities. unconscious and insensible to pain, before being bled out at slaughter. The majority of Halal lamb and goat in America and a good percentage of the Halal beef is imported from New Zealand and Australia. UK Food Standards Agency figures from 2011 suggest 84% of cattle, 81% of sheep and 88% of chickens slaughtered for halal meat were stunned before they died. In exchange there are actually more regulations in place governing the handling of animals that will not be stunned when slaughtered. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? These are two different issues which are independent from one another and should not be cropped together under one banner. Under Islamic and Jewish laws, animals are not pre-stunned before they're killed In the current situation, the supply of non-stunned Halal meat is insufficient to meet the supply needs of the North America Muslim community. However, a report from the Food Standards Agency last year suggested some would step into the broader food chain. There are numerous advantages to non-stunned meat including complete drainage of blood, better consistency of the meat, and no concern of the animal dying due to the stunning. For this reason, many scholars have declared that the act of stunning is extremely disliked and close to being impermissible. No, with the single exception of whether or not stunning is used. For meat to be considered halal the animal must be alive and healthy before it is killed, and all the blood must be drained from the body. Denmark announced last year it would ban Halal and Kosher slaughtering practices. What most non-Arabs or non-Muslims do not know about halal meat is that it is healthier and tastes better than the generic meat most Americans consume. No, with the single exception of whether or not stunning is used. This does, however, leave a significant minority of animals which are killed without being stunned first, at one of a reported 12 slaughterhouses in the UK which still perform the more traditional practice, endorsed by Islamic scholars, of keeping the animal conscious when its throat is cut. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. A renowned Islamic scholar, Mufti Taqi Usmani, has shed light on this important issue and he writes: ” The jurists have mentioned many signs that can be taken as proof of an animal being alive at the time of slaughter, for example if the animal bleeds at the time of slaughter like a living animal, or closes its mouth or eyes, or pulls together its legs, or shows any kind of movement, etc. Q Does halal slaughter without pre-stunning hurt animals more than other forms of slaughter? Likewise, there are many Muslim leaders who are completely opposed to stunning and do not allow it. A report from the FAWC said chicken and turkeys were likely to be conscious for up to 20 seconds after a transverse incision is made across their neck.“Such a large cut will inevitably trigger sensory input to pain centres in the brain,” the council said. For halal slaughter that includes pre-stunning there is no practical difference in the way the animal is treated. For example, the vast majority of New Zealand lamb is processed by Halal standards. Its antonym is Haram. Not Reciting God’s Name When Slaughtering. It is a broad term covering what is allowed in the context of Islamic law, but is often used in conjunction with the issue of how meat is dealt with. We will discuss these two rulings separately below. In halal premium, 37 per cent of sheep and goats, 25 per cent of cattle and 16 per cent of poultry were killed without being stunned first. SUPERMARKETS are selling halal and kosher meat from animals killed without being pre-stunned, a Sun investigation reveals. The Food Standards Authority (FSA) estimates about 88pc of animals killed through halal methods are stunned beforehand using techniques acceptable in Islamic law. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. The Halal Food Authority is one the largest of these organisations and says that both poultry and ovine meat can be stunned. Post Cancel. Read our full mailing list consent terms here. Animals reared in Denmark and New Zealand must be pre-stunned – with no legal exemptions for halal or kosher – and such meat is widely available in British supermarkets. While Halal meat is well known in the Arab and Muslim World, as well as in Arab American and American Muslim communities, much of the world does not know what it means for meat to be halal. If the animal was indeed alive at the time of a proper Halal slaughter, then the meat of such an animal will be lawful to consume. Stunning is a very serious matter and some scholars have used extremely strong language when describing the practice of stunning such as ‘against the spirit of Islam’ and an ‘evil innovation.’ Therefore, a Muslim should avoid using this practice as much as possible when slaughtering an animal. The LCM described the decision as “undemocratic and hugely discriminatory”. Standard Australian slaughter practice ensures that animals are stunned, i.e. For the majority, no. The common factor in all these methods of stunning is causing extra pain to the animal above and beyond the pain experienced during the slaughter itself. Our understanding (as of 2017) is that there are 8 abattoirs in Australia with approval to cond… The report concluded that 70% of Muslims prefer to buy meat/poultry that is non stunned. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. While Halal meat is well known in the Arab and Muslim World, as well as in Arab American and American Muslim communities, much of the world does not know what it means for meat to be halal. Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. They are authorized to remove such animals from the line and ensure that they are not included in the Halal production. Halal and kosher meat could be labelled by method of slaughter after Brexit in row over animal cruelty. Last year politicians in Britain said they would not be outlawing halal slaughter without pre-stunning despite pressure from activists including the RSPCA, which has in the last week brought a new e-petition for them to do so. The Jews have historically taken a strong stance against stunning and do not allow it under any circumstance. Some methods are reversible and others are irreversible. Therefore because of all the negative aspects of stunning, the Halal Monitoring Committee has set a blanket ruling disallowing stunning in any form. That is why campaigners are working to get clearer rules around labelling in place, and the industry body Eblex is currently consulting on introducing an assurance scheme to introduce “a level of transparency that it has been suggested is currently missing”. (All Halal slaughter of chickens in Australia includes prior stunning.) Q What have governments done about the issue of halal slaughter without pre-stunning? HFSAA has adopted a balanced approach in the short term with regards the issue of stunning and have consciously chosen the ‘lesser of the two evils’ in order to provide more options for Muslims to consume authentic Halal products. The observation of movement in the animal, or establishing the fact that a pulse exists is sufficient to prove an animal alive.”. The opposite of halal is haram, meaning “forbidden”. If the slaughterhouse fabricates meat to be sold as halal, the meat has not been co-mingled with any food or food product not represented to be halal. We would urge the UK Government to insist that all Halal meat procured is stunned before slaughter. A significant number of British halal meat-eaters might be persuaded to switch to meat from stunned animals, if they were reassured that some forms of stunning are compatible with halal rules. Halal slaughter of animals was conceived on the historical principle that it was one of the more humane methods available. Comment. So Allaah excludes from these forbidden types of meat those that are reached when still alive and slaughtered in the proper manner. The majority of halal meat in the UK is pre-stunned. Instead of being rendered instantly unconscious when stunned, they will be receiving a painful electric shock that immobilises them before being slaughtered whilst fully conscious. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? Although some imported Halal may not be pre-stunned, all New Zealand lamb is. The animal is not stunned before slaughter. This was suggested by the results of a survey published in the journal Vet Record in late June (2020). Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. All the meat we sell from these suppliers is stunned before slaughter, the only difference being that Halal meat has received a blessing.” There is currently no domestic UK law (or European regulation) saying halal or kosher meat products must be labelled as such. Some stores claimed last week they only sell products from stunned animals. The Food Standards Authority (FSA) estimates about 88pc of animals killed through halal methods are stunned beforehand using techniques acceptable in Islamic law. The long-term goal is to move closer to the Sunnah method of slaughter and stop causing extra pain to the animal through stunning. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. The only difference with halal slaughter is that a reversible stunning method is used, while conventional humane slaughter may use an irreversible stunning method. When probed further and asked why then halal meat is so controversial, Muslims volunteer or concede that it is because halal meat comes from animals that were not stunned prior to being slaughtered, a practice that some animal rights activists find cruel to the animals. When probed further and asked why then halal meat is so controversial, Muslims volunteer or concede that it is because halal meat comes from animals that were not stunned prior to being slaughtered, a practice that some animal rights activists find cruel to the animals. These ‘approvals’ are effectively exemptions to standard Australian slaughter practice and only apply to cattle and sheep. Muslims are allowed to eat the meat of the following animals: • Domesticated birds • Camels • Cattle • Sheep • Goats • Deer • Rabbits • Fish For halal slaughter that includes pre-stunning there is no practical difference in the way the animal is treated. Likewise, the vast majority of lamb and goat slaughterhouses apply an electric rod to the head of the animal before slaughter. Tesco has since clarified that in the UK, all its Tesco branded halal meat is stunned and the only difference is the prayer before slaughter. Approximately 90% or more of chickens are stunned through the reversible method of the electric water trough. This could leave consumers unsure about whether the meat had been stunned before it was slaughtered; according to the House of Commons Library there isn't a consensus on whether halal rules require this. Therefore, after careful consideration, HFSAA has decided to approve reversible methods of stunning in the short term for poultry and sheep under strict supervision to ensure that the animal does not die. When irreversible methods of stunning are applied, the animal will die if it is not slaughtered within a few minutes. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. Q Do halal slaughterhouses in the UK face different regulations to non-halal ones? The slaughterers are trained to look for signs of life and to reject animals which do not bleed properly or do not display signs of life. Halal-slaughtered animals are 'dying in agony' because of 'Muslim ignorance' over pre-slaughter stunning, say experts Under Islamic law Muslims can only consume meat that is deemed 'halal' Unstunned halal meat is provided in school meals for some of the 12,000 children in 27 Lancashire schools. Correction appended, July 30. AFAIK there are no kosher authorities that allow stunning so it's a much more difficult issue for religious Jews. It joined Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland in banning the religious slaughter. Since the legal status of a stunned animal is dependent on it being alive at the time of slaughter, there is a need to discuss how to ascertain that the animal is alive at the time of death. The UK Food Standards Agency figures from 2011 suggest that 84% of cattle, 81% of sheep and 88% of chickens slaughtered for halal meat were stunned before they died. Q Are animals conscious when they are killed for halal slaughter? “Stunning the animal before slaughter leaves a huge doubt into the halalness of the animal as many could be killed by … Other methods are reversible in theory and the animal can get up and walk around if not slaughtered in a few minutes. There are different types of stunning used for different species including turkeys, chickens, lamb, and cattle. In practical terms, the percentage of non-stunned Halal meat is extremely low and the majority of Halal meat is stunned. Halal is an Arabic term in Islam which means permissible, allowed. However, HFSAA will not allow lethal and irreversible stunning methods for cattle which will cause the death of the animal in a few minutes and will initiate cardiac arrest. Based on the Halal needs of the Muslim community, many renowned international Halal organizations and authorities have accepted animals which are stunned with strict requirements and measures in place to ensure that the animal is alive when slaughtered. On the other hand, if it is established that the animal was indeed dead at the time of slaughter, such an animal will be unlawful to consume despite the fact that it was slaughtered in accordance to Islamic law. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. Halal meat has returned to headlines in the past weeks - but what are the facts? Supermarkets selling halal products also report that all animals are stunned before they are slaughtered. Therefore, the Islamic ruling of stunning is an issue of paramount importance which has tremendous implications for Muslim consumers and businesses alike. This article will attempt to shed light on this important issue. It's no different from standard abattoir practice. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. Halal meat is reared—and slaughtered—differently from conventional meat. Currently, meat in the UK that is labelled as halal could be from pre-stunned slaughter or not pre-stunned slaughter – it is very difficult to guarantee either way. A recent study that was conducted by Bristol University into the Halal meat market attained responses from 250 Muslims into their buying behaviours as well as their Halal meat & poultry preferences. Retailers and food chains insist that while they do not label all the halal meat they sell, it does come from animals which have been pre-stunned, which removes the concerns about cruelty. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) says it believes “all animals should be effectively stunned before slaughter to improve the welfare of these animals”, while the RSPCA says it causes “unnecessary suffering”. European regulations require animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered, but grants exemptions on religious grounds. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? UK Food Standards Agency figures from 2011 suggest 84% of … A small number of abattoirs in Australia have been granted permission from the relevant State or Territory food authority to conduct religious slaughter without prior stunning – for either Halal or Kosher (Jewish slaughter) purposes. For meat to be halal, ... allowing any surplus meat from non-stunned slaughter to be sold on the open market to consumers who are unaware of the type of death that took place. There are numerous advantages to non-stunned meat including complete drainage of blood, better consistency of the meat, and no concern of the animal dying due to the stunning. According to the dietary rules of Islam, halal refers to the foods that are fit for Muslim consumption. One, called dhabihah, requires a swift, deep incision with a sharp knife on the neck that cuts the jugular vein. There are numerous types of stunning including the pneumatic stunner which delivers a blow to the head of the animal, captive bolt pistol which shatters the brain of the animal, electric water through which delivers an electric shock to poultry, and electric brain stunner for sheep. The legal status of an animal which has been stunned is dependent on whether the animal was alive at the time of slaughter. Instead of being rendered instantly unconscious when stunned, they will be receiving a painful electric shock that immobilises them before being slaughtered whilst fully conscious. It is adamant, however, that animals should not be stunned to death. The Daily Mail claimed that "more than 70% of all New Zealand lamb in supermarkets is halal".. Among the respondents who said they preferred meat from stunned animals, 46% (100) said they were unsure of the Halal status of this meat, while around a quarter (24%; 52) said they sometimes ate meat from animals that had been stunned in the absence of an alternative. Most Halal slaughterhouses in North America also use some form of stunning before slaughter. You must stun all animals before you slaughter them unless an animal is being religiously slaughtered for halal or kosher meat. Currently, meat in the UK that is labelled as halal could be from pre-stunned slaughter or not pre-stunned slaughter – it is very difficult to guarantee either way. That requirement would exclude kosher meat, which cannot be stunned before slaughter. In … The Halal meat sector is one of the fastest growing in the meat industry in Britain, with supermarket chains scrambling for a share of the market. Stunning is an unacceptable action and the person who stuns will sinful for causing extra pain to the animal. Stunning At Halal Food Gastronomy we only showcase places that meet the following strict criteria, this is to help ensure that all of the places we feature are universally accepted as Halal with the lowest possible level of risk due to the widespread levels of malpractice in the Halal Food Industry. they may have other documentation. Eblex chairman John Cross described it as a “very important sector”, and said that assurances about the methods of slaughter were “vital for its future success”. In practical terms, the percentage of non-stunned Halal meat is extremely low and the majority of Halal meat is stunned. For example, halal supplier Najma states: "We follow the Islamic values of treating all animals with kindness and compassion. Yes, if British vets, the RSPCA and the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) are to be believed. Between 84 and 90 per cent of animals killed for halal meat in the UK are processed by one of the large number of halal slaughterhouses which do use electric stunning beforehand. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Around 85% of halal meat is stunned (in the UK, at least) and most Islamic authorities are fine with it. Yet now the RSPCA says that, when compared to methods that involve stunning the animal beforehand, it can cause unnecessary suffering, pain and distress. Q How much is the halal meat industry worth? The UK Food Standards Agency figures from 2011 suggest that 84% of cattle, 81% of sheep and 88% of chickens slaughtered for halal meat were stunned before they died. Traditional halal meat is killed by hand and must be blessed by the slaughterman. Online Editors Independentie The report concluded that 70% of Muslims prefer to buy meat/poultry that is non stunned. Chickens slaughtered for Halal meat are not being stunned effectively. The majority of Halal lamb and goat in America and a good percentage of the Halal beef is imported from New Zealand and Australia. After learning of the evil of stunning, a Muslim should do his best to consume meat which was not stunned and support businesses who supply non-stunned Halal meat. Some stores claimed last week they only sell products from stunned animals. Chickens slaughtered for Halal meat are not being stunned effectively. HFSAA is also dedicated to working in the long term with Muslim businesses and the meat industry to build the infrastructure needed to eliminate stunning once and for all from the Halal slaughter plants. (from the Conversation [1] ) Stunned Halal meat is considered to be Haram or forbidden. Its antonym is Haram. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. 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