religious slaughtered food

[auntsallyann]

After all the recent hype in the media regarding halal slaughtered food being foisted upon non-muslims, and doing losts of research myself I really do not want to eat this stuff. But how can I avoid it when nothing is labelled as such. I know I would of unwittingly have eaten it in the past, as most weekends we would have an 'indian' takeaway. Now I have discovered they are not Indian owned but Pakistani/Bangledeshi so they only serve halal meat. I will never again go into one of these restaurants/takeaways. Surley there should be a law for clear labelling of this foodstuff. Many schools are also serving this to non muslim pupils, though having checked with my sons school they do not serve it.
Surley it is against our human rights to have this foisted upon us with no warning, so we can at least have a choice as to whether we wish to eat it or not.
I have e-mailed several 'indians', pubs and brewers fayre places etc and have been told they do serve it, mainly chicken and new zealand lamb, although they only use animals which have been pre-stunned. Pre-stunning is not acceptable to me as this only renders the animal unconcious for around 20seconds so it is still alive whilst it's throat is slit and left to bleed to death.
I know organisations such as the RSPCA and DEFRA do not agree with halal slaughter, but the govt will not ban it.
How could I find out about my human rights on this, I do not want to have this served to me unknowingly and feel strong enough about it that if I find out I am being served it without my knowledge I will sue.
Apart from go veggie, is there an other option to ensure we are not eating it.

[Count-A-Strong]

Slaughter your own livestock.

[milly143]

If it isn't labelled then how would a Muslim know that it IS Halal?

[redcrx]

dont eat anything that you havnt prepared yourself.

also when buying meat, perhaps you should ask the butchers or supermarket where the meat is slaughtered (prepacked meat should have a code on it) and contact the slaughterhouse

[hc4361]

Buy from your local butcher and ask.
Only eat pork when you eat out.
Petition your MP to make labelling very clear.
Write to the big supermarkets stating you will not buy any meat, except pork, from them until it is clearly labelled.

By the way, a lot of Indians are Muslims so you cannot be guaranteed of non-halal meat by eating in an Indian and not Pakistani restaurant.

[Answerprancer]

Simple answer - go veg, it's not "just a load of old lentils" !

[hc4361]

milly, a lot of Muslims will not eat the 'halal' meat in supermarkets because much of it is stunned first. Strict Muslims will not eat any meat that has been stunned prior to slaughter, no matter the animal is killed or how many prayers are said over its dying body.

I wrote the New Zealand meat board who confirmed that more than 90% of New Zealand exported to the UK has been killed by the halal method.

I have written to my MP.

[milly143]

What I mean is that if the meat isn't labelled as Halal then surely no Muslim, strict or not buy it because they would have to assume it isn't Halal. So what's the point in slaughtering meat Halal if you are not going to state it is Halal.

[hc4361]

Because it is cheaper for a slaughter house to kill everything Halal, sell to the specialised Halal butchers and the main supermarkets and restaurant chains instead of using two different processes.

[auntsallyann]

I have written to my mp who just passed my letter on to DEFRA who do want it banned or at least labelled but with no govt backing then it's not possible. Yes redhelen there maybe worse things to worry about, but at this moment in time this is worrying me!

[hc4361]

Going vegetarian is not the answer.
In this country the law about the slaughter of animals is very strict and is only relaxed to allow Halal for the consumption of Muslims only. A similar exception is for Kosher slaughters for the Jewish community.
It is illegal to slaughter in the Halal way for mass consumption regardless of religious beliefs.
My MP is very supportive and is raising the matter in Parliament.

[auntsallyann]

Thank you hc, maybe if more people took the trouble to see exacty what halal/kosher slaughter is, they may realise how cruel it is. I have now joined a facebook group which goes into much detail of this slaughter and has certainly educated me. It seems DEFRA, RSPCA, BVA and many other animal welfare groups oppose this slaughter, does that not tell people how wrong this slaughter is in 21st Century Britian.

FAWC -
It is important to note that the exemption from stunning for religious slaughter is based upon the principal that “unnecessary suffering” should not be caused. The recognition that “very significant pain and distress” is “likely” to be caused by religious slaughter calls into question the entire legal basis of the existing exemption and the government so far has failed to address it.

The up-to-date scientific evidence available and our own observations leave no doubt in our minds that religious slaughter, even when carried out under ideal conditions, must result in a degree of pain, suffering and distress which does not occur in the properly stunned animal.


Parliamentary Briefing SNSC 01314 Standard Note SN/SC/1314 -
The European Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter 1979 allows for ritual slaughter. However, this slaughter must ensure that the animals are spared any avoidable pain or suffering.

[boxtops]

I understand your concern but the argument for halal or kosher killing is that death is quick with a knife - if you were also to investigate non-religious slaughterhouses (as many have) I think we would all be dismayed at what goes on in many "ordinary" abbatoirs. Unless everyone turns vegetarian, some animals are bound to be caused distress (even at the smell of death in these places), it is a fact of life. My own butcher - local, small town - buys in halal chicken breasts, and it wasn't until I asked him about halal meat because some Muslim friends were coming that he even noticed the words "halal" on the side of his wholesale boxes.
I am sure that many of us are going to have to agree to differ on this one. I don't like any suffering in any animal, but humans kill for meat, from individuals in the jungle to us asking someone else to do it for us in abbatoirs. There is never going to be a nice way to do it.
It would be difficult to ban Halal meat any more than you can ban Kosher meat or stop people eating port scratchings - people are preparing food for their own communities, and before anyone starts, I know many indigenous white and black British converts to both faiths, so it's not all to do with the immigrant population.

[hc4361]

I have no problem whatsoever with Muslims eating Halal, or Jews eating Kosher.

However, I want the right to choose whether to buy Halal or not, and unless the meat is clearly labelled then that choice is denied me.

If I want to buy Halal meat I know exactly where to buy it from, the Halal butchers on the High Street.
Of course the big supermarkets should supply Halal if there is a demand - but label it so I don't have to.

[jedimistress]

I agree. Free Range Eggs are labelled as such. So why should it differ. People can make that conscious decision....(or not...if they feel they have bigger things to worry about and are probably out there struggling for change.)

That is very interesting about New Zealand meat.

[jedimistress]

Have you researched British abbatoirs and do you know that the workers are paid piece work...the more they kill the more money they make. It leads to standards slipping, animals not being stunned for long enough. There is a campaign ot introduce CCTV to all slaughterhouses and get rid of the piece work. I'm totally for it as numerous undercover filimg has exposed so much cruelty. Please see below.

http://www.animalaid....IGNS/slaughter/ALL///