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Halal Meat
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Is Halal slaughter humane and regulated? I understand that Halal meat may be appearing in supermarkets, and if it is neither, I hope it is clearly labelled so that I can avoid it (and the supermarket)
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I am told ( can't confirm) that all New Zealand lamb is halal. Halal slaughter does not 100% guarantee that animals do not suffer. Halal slaughterhouses must sell surplus meat to non-religious purchasers, in order to keep the price down for religious purchasers. It is probable that if no non-religious purchases were made, halal meat would become very much more expensive. So you may be subsidising meat prices for religious buyers by buying meat which is (probably) not labelled by slaughter-method.
This is part of an email I received from Morrison's in 2014
"We require that all Morrisons own label meat and poultry is from animals that are stunned prior to slaughter according to our stringent animal welfare standards. Most of our fresh beef and lamb is processed through our own abattoirs. Customers who do not wish to purchase halal or kosher products can choose Morrisons-branded fresh meat in full confidence that all animals are stunned and no prayer is read at slaughter."
This is part of an email from NZ Meat Industry Association in 2010. I have asked all the major supermarkets about their NZ lamb and none can or will confirm that their non-Halal labelled NZ lamb is not Halal
"Thank you for your enquiry.
The New Zealand meat industry aims to meet highest quality, food safety and ethical requirements of all our customers, so the views of customers (particularly regular consumers of New Zealand lamb such as yourself) are very important to us.
In answer to your query, I can confirm that much, but not all of the lamb exported from New Zealand is processed in plants that comply with halal requirements. The New Zealand industry does not attempt to hide this fact, but as New Zealand lamb is often not exported in a ‘retail-ready’ form, the decision to label lamb as halal or non-halal is often beyond our control
We would like to stress that not all New Zealand lamb that is exported to the UK is halal, and we suggest that you ask your retailer whether they are able to provide non-halal New Zealand lamb so that you can continue to enjoy what we believe is a top quality product.
With regard to any concerns you may have about the animal welfare aspect of halal slaughter process in New Zealand, we would like to emphasise that In New Zealand all commercial slaughter of livestock, including halal, must be undertaken in a humane manner in accordance with New Zealand’s animal welfare laws.
These laws require animals to be ‘stunned’ immediately prior to slaughter. Stunning ensures an immediate loss of consciousness to prevent animals from feeling any pain during the slaughter process.
In May 2010 the New Zealand government issued the Animal Welfare (Commercial Slaughter) Code of Welfare 2010. The code reiterated the requirement for all animals slaughtered commercially in New Zealand to be stunned prior to slaughter."
It is clear that Halal slaughtered meat is sold in supermarkets and butchers without being labelled as such, but it is also clear that Halal labelled meat can be stunned. As far as I know all British Halal abattoirs stun the animals before slaughter.
I choose not to eat Halal or Kosher meat or poultry and it has long been my wish to see all Halal and Kosher slaughtered meat labelled as such, even if it is not Halal for Muslims (or Kosher for Jews) because of other factors.
"We require that all Morrisons own label meat and poultry is from animals that are stunned prior to slaughter according to our stringent animal welfare standards. Most of our fresh beef and lamb is processed through our own abattoirs. Customers who do not wish to purchase halal or kosher products can choose Morrisons-branded fresh meat in full confidence that all animals are stunned and no prayer is read at slaughter."
This is part of an email from NZ Meat Industry Association in 2010. I have asked all the major supermarkets about their NZ lamb and none can or will confirm that their non-Halal labelled NZ lamb is not Halal
"Thank you for your enquiry.
The New Zealand meat industry aims to meet highest quality, food safety and ethical requirements of all our customers, so the views of customers (particularly regular consumers of New Zealand lamb such as yourself) are very important to us.
In answer to your query, I can confirm that much, but not all of the lamb exported from New Zealand is processed in plants that comply with halal requirements. The New Zealand industry does not attempt to hide this fact, but as New Zealand lamb is often not exported in a ‘retail-ready’ form, the decision to label lamb as halal or non-halal is often beyond our control
We would like to stress that not all New Zealand lamb that is exported to the UK is halal, and we suggest that you ask your retailer whether they are able to provide non-halal New Zealand lamb so that you can continue to enjoy what we believe is a top quality product.
With regard to any concerns you may have about the animal welfare aspect of halal slaughter process in New Zealand, we would like to emphasise that In New Zealand all commercial slaughter of livestock, including halal, must be undertaken in a humane manner in accordance with New Zealand’s animal welfare laws.
These laws require animals to be ‘stunned’ immediately prior to slaughter. Stunning ensures an immediate loss of consciousness to prevent animals from feeling any pain during the slaughter process.
In May 2010 the New Zealand government issued the Animal Welfare (Commercial Slaughter) Code of Welfare 2010. The code reiterated the requirement for all animals slaughtered commercially in New Zealand to be stunned prior to slaughter."
It is clear that Halal slaughtered meat is sold in supermarkets and butchers without being labelled as such, but it is also clear that Halal labelled meat can be stunned. As far as I know all British Halal abattoirs stun the animals before slaughter.
I choose not to eat Halal or Kosher meat or poultry and it has long been my wish to see all Halal and Kosher slaughtered meat labelled as such, even if it is not Halal for Muslims (or Kosher for Jews) because of other factors.
No slaughtered animal is slaughtered humanely but since you're talking particularly about halal a lot of food in the supermarket is halal and doesn't have to be marked as such so you can avoid it ( but often is), and also a lot of fast food outlets serve Halal, especially in certain areas, KFC and Pizza Express spring to mind. All meat at Pizza Express is Halal.
Only chicken is Halal in Pizza Express.
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