To think the new halal and kosher labelling bill is a great idea?

I didn’t know that about the hindquarters thing (and I’m Jewish!). I don’t each much meat - mainly chicken - I was veggie for years.

You mean minority religions, or is it just halal meat that is tainted for you? I'm very interested in how atheists hold the belief that a dead animal assumes religious qualities and is therefore spiritually tainted due to words being uttered at the time of death.

The actual numbers are shocking

6% of the UK population are Muslim but in 2024 21% of all UK slaughtered poultry and 82% of sheep in the UK were Halal slaughtered.

29% of all sheep slaughtered in the UK were unstunned for a 6% population.

The numbers of animals slaughtered using Kosher methods are significantly smaller and more in line with the population. So much smaller that species specific records aren’t kept but 62,103 animals across all species in 2024 is tiny compared to the 27.7 million non stun chickens overall in the same year.

Guess you also have a black friend right?

You mean minority religions, or is it just halal meat that is tainted for you? I'm very interested in how atheists hold the belief that a dead animal assumes religious qualities and is therefore spiritually tainted due to words being uttered at the time of death.

I find it really annoying how much of our meat supply has ended up being slaughtered in what I see a religious "cult". And that it's happened by stealth.

The origin of these sorts of practices is not only religious but economic and means that a certain religious culture gets to make a premium tariff on everything that's "blessed".

I can't believe we have to pander to this imaginary friend nonsense in the 21st century, when the vast majority find it to be nonsense.

If I chose to move to an Islamic country, or even if I was forced to, say by war, I'd recognise that they have their rules. Their rules include ritual slaughter, and sharia law, and other stuff that I dont like or agree with. That's the compromise I would have to make for seeking the safety or economic benefits of that country.

I genuinely resent the fact that we have eroded our boundaries so much in favour of someone else's bullsh*t.

Abattoirs are privately owned businesses, so I can only assume that they have made the informed choice (based on financial interest?) to allow halal/kosher meat to be slaughtered in their premises. I imagine kosher is much more financially lucrative because the criteria is much higher than halal. I read something about one of the milk factories in Scotland getting a kosher certificate and this was very valuable for the company. There is no obligation to "pander" at all, it's a choice the businesses are making.

People are unknowingly being "taxed" by a minority religion which they neither subscribe to nor support.

Labelling rules need to catch up with the reality of living in a multicultural country.

Be default we as a society, mainly driven by the public sector, are ending up all pandering to the most awkward minority.

I'm not being difficult but I am an atheist, and I believe i should be able to choose to eat meat that is untainted by someone else's magic, for which my supplier has paid a price. 🙄

I'm not narrow minded, nor bigoted, nor racist, nor anti-immigration. I see this as an essential part of an equitable society where there is freedom of religious belief, including atheism.

People are unknowingly being "taxed" by a minority religion which they neither subscribe to nor support.

Labelling rules need to catch up with the reality of living in a multicultural country.

Be default we as a society, mainly driven by the public sector, are ending up all pandering to the most awkward minority.

I'm not being difficult but I am an atheist, and I believe i should be able to choose to eat meat that is untainted by someone else's magic, for which my supplier has paid a price. 🙄

I'm not narrow minded, nor bigoted, nor racist, nor anti-immigration. I see this as an essential part of an equitable society where there is freedom of religious belief, including atheism.

I find it quite ironic that the same people who are dead against halal slaughter are all for kosher slaughter

despire then being essentially the same thing

Agree with this. Although one thing I have learned recently, is that the hindquarters of an animal are rarely eaten by Jews. This obviously means that half of the carcass of each kosher slaughtered animal goes into the usual human food chain - ie, it’s been religiously slaughtered, not stunned, but isn’t labelled as kosher because Jews don’t want to eat it. This is why the Facebook groups have come about, because people are unknowingly buying religiously slaughtered meat.

Similar with halal slaughter. Once the halal butchers have all the meat they need to process from the halal slaughterhouses, any ‘excess’ just gets sent to normal butchers. It isn’t labelled as halal, because technically it isn’t as it hasn’t been processed by a halal butcher, but the animal has still been religiously slaughtered.

In my opinion, if it’s not acceptable to inadvertently give a muslim / Jew non halal / kosher meat, then it’s not acceptable to give a non-muslim / Jew with concerns about animal welfare, religiously slaughtered meat.

I find it really annoying how much of our meat supply has ended up being slaughtered in what I see a religious "cult". And that it's happened by stealth.

The origin of these sorts of practices is not only religious but economic and means that a certain religious culture gets to make a premium tariff on everything that's "blessed".

I can't believe we have to pander to this imaginary friend nonsense in the 21st century, when the vast majority find it to be nonsense.

If I chose to move to an Islamic country, or even if I was forced to, say by war, I'd recognise that they have their rules. Their rules include ritual slaughter, and sharia law, and other stuff that I dont like or agree with. That's the compromise I would have to make for seeking the safety or economic benefits of that country.

I genuinely resent the fact that we have eroded our boundaries so much in favour of someone else's bullsh*t.

It does impact my life as I want to live in a secular society. Why does that make me a bigot? I don’t have to accept religion being forced on us like this, just because apparently it doesn’t matter to me.

How did you know it was halal then?

A private business choosing to only serve halal meat has nothing to do with secularism / religion and everything to do with money.

Well it is when most meat in London restaurants and take aways are halal, most meat your children eat in schools and in our work canteens. My work canteen has served halal meat only for 15 years. It’s not labelled. Did you not know this?

It’s not about the words said. It’s the fact they are given a recoverable stun so the shop can say it was stunned.

It’s like been given an anaesthetic on a Tuesday at 8am then coming round at 11am and being operated on at 11:30am. Yes the hospital can honestly say you were given an anaesthetic but the anaesthetic did not help when you were operated on.

The fact that people are not fully aware of what they are buying isn’t right. Labels are placed on food items so I know the sugar, salt etc in them. I have to be given accurate info on the label. I also want to know full stun, recoverable stun, no stun. Just like I want to know organic, free range etc.

And if so many people really don’t care then surely it’s not a big deal if it is labelled correctly.

The tobacco companies were not happy about the change in packaging as I guess they thought it would affect sales. If people don’t care about religious slaughter then the profits will remain the same.

Ermm, this isn't a secular country. Most laws are derived from the Christianity (e.g. Sunday trading hours). I can't think of a country that is 100% secular..maybe one of the Scandanavian countries?

Surely the option is the vegetarian option next to sausages??

Where have I said anything against religious freedom and personal choice? Where is my choice to be free from religion and not eat halal meat and for my children not to eat halal meat at school?

A core pillar of any democratic society is the right to religious freedom and personal choice. I don't understand why someone would want to have a tattoo on their face or wear the burka, but i respect the individual right to make these choices. You seem to be the type of person scapegoat a particular community based on your own prejudices. Let me guess..you want to ban the burka, and are against turning disused churches to mosques?

I really don't understand why you asked me whether I knew about the food being served in your canteen....