Ban Halal / Kosher meat?

[MaisyMooCow]

Following on from a most interesting thread this week regarding the Burqa which touched slightly on the subject of Halal....

Recently on a visit to KFC I read a notice at the till saying that all the meat served at this branch met with Halal standards. This disturbed me somewhat as I don't personally agree with this method of slaughter. I visited the KFC website for further info and was relieved to find out that the meat is still actually slaughtered in accordance to EU standards but a representative is present to recite a verse of the Qu'ran to make it halal accredited.

However, at the end of the Burqa thread a poster mentioned that in the Netherlands they will soon be voting against the halal slaughter method currently practiced there. I am confused ....surely as part of the EU this shouldn't be allowed in the first place if they are being compliant with the EU rules on slaughter methods. Do members of the EU only follow the laws as and when it suits?

Does this mean that there are abattoirs in this country that could be practicing this slaughter method too illegally?

Surely, in order for animal welfare standards to be met and to satisfy the needs of the Muslim community all that is needed is what is currently practiced at the KFC suppliers, a verse of the Qu'ran recited?

[squeakytoy]

www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/sep/20/halal-meat-the-truth

[MikeOxstiff]

That is the way it is going even new Zealand lamb is Halal
Bigger market you see
All meat in hospitals is hallal too and prob in schools

[nailak]

hmmm when i was in hospital there was halal choice or kosher choice but not all the meat was halal?

[MaisyMooCow]

squeaky thanks for the article. The last paragraph is right, better labelling is required to inform us on how the food is prepared.

[nailak]

like the link squeaky

[activate]

however this will be an interesting thread as you will split opinion as generally there is a pro-religious tolerance where it relates to islamic practices and an anti-jewish vibe giong on on this forum

[MaisyMooCow]

activate harsh

I am not saying it shouldn't be available IF YOU READ MY POST PROPERLY

[onceamai]

Have read the article, don't have a problem with it. Have a problem, however, with the racist undertones here OP. There is a reference to animals being healthy - presumably you don't have problems then with battery farming.

[MaisyMooCow]

onceamai absolutely no racist undertones here so you 'do one' if you want to take the thread in that direction.

My interests lie in animal welfare.

And if you read the last paragraph of my opening post you will see my thoughts on meeting the needs of animal welfare AND the needs of the muslim community.

[MikeOxstiff]

activate onceama
Why is not wanting Halal/Kosher meat anti/ racist?

[nijinsky]

Yes, the Dutch are probably going to ban halal and kosher meat as this requires the animal to be conscious while being bled to death. The Dutch are likely to require stunning of the animal as a minimum requirement.

(Of course, in mass slaughter of animals, stunning isn't always universally effective...).

In the UK, there has been a creeping trend towards providing halal meat as course - all meat on BA flights is halal, which is why I can no longer eat them.

IMHO if there is a less cruel method of animal slaughter available which minimises suffering (including mental suffering) to animals, it should be compulsary. We are a civilised country and to hold otherwise is not civilised.

Animals do know when they are to be slaughtered. I am not a vegetarian but I am an animal lover.

[nailak]

op to answer your question truthfully, some members of the muslim community, myself not included dont eat hfa certified meat due to the slauhter methods but only eat hmc certified meat, i dont know about kosher meat, but personally i would eat any halal certified or kosher certified meat.

[squeakytoy]

The article I linked does state that the animals ARE stunned prior to quick slaughter Nijinsky.

Personally, I would rather all meat be free-range, and that all forms of battery farming were banned, if we were going to address issues with livestock.

[MaisyMooCow]

nijinsky I too am an animal lover and I will support which method of slaughter is going to minimise the suffering most. If Halal was proved to be this method then I would support it but until it is I can only go with what information is currently provided to us.

If BA suppliers followed KFC then everyone would be happy as it would suit the needs of both halal and non halal eaters.

[onceamai]

Maisy Moo Cow could you please explain what "do one" means; it isn't a term I'm familiar with but it doesn't seem very polite although I am willing to stand corrected.

[ginmakesitallok]

Re Halal/Kosher meat - is it all to do with the way the animal is slaughtered or is there any concern for the animal's welfare before death?

[MaisyMooCow]

Basically it means take the 'racist' element elsewhere. Racism is not the intention of this thread.

[MaisyMooCow]

Darth I agree. Slaughter is slaughter and not a bit pretty so with Halal methods I just feel we are going backwards in terms of animal welfare.

[onceamai]

Go back a century. A healthy orchard fed pig, or grass fed lamb, or milk fed cow. There was no stunning but there were healthy, animals who had a good quality of life. Compare to Danish pig farms where animals are in cramped cages or chicken sheds, etc., etc.. Animals know when they are going to the slaughter house whether they are stunned or not.

[MaisyMooCow]

Unfortunately we can't go back a century only forward where the demand for meat is so much that the breeding and feeding methods are so intense. With this in mind we have to make sure that the methods used take into consideration the quality of life of the animals.

[EricNorthmansMistress]

Regular abbatoirs are chock full of cruel and disgusting treatment and practices. All abbatoirs should be properly regulated and monitored. I'm a lifelong vegetarian and I have been present at a proper halal slaughter of a sheep (ok I didn't watch the actual moment - ick) but I saw the sheep up to the slaughter, he was a very happy sheep, and my DH told me how it was done, the knife is extremely sharp and severs the spinal column immediately. All in all it was the best death the sheep could have had. I know that commercial halal abbatoirs won't all be like that but I do believe the principles of halal slaughter are acceptable.

[onceamai]

No you pay more for the meat and do your best to ensure they have a good quality of life when they are alive.