Would you be annoyed if school went 100% halal meat?

[Wintershealing]

The school I work at has a new head teacher who has announced from after half term all meat needs to be halal. She says it's a more ethical way to slaughter animals (she's vegan herself) and no non-halal meat will be on offer. She said anyone who doesn't want it can bring a packed lunch.

I don't know much about halal meat other than it's religious connections. What do you think?

None - but you are denying the majority of children the choice to eat bacon and pork products in order to not offend a minority.

The percentage of the UK population that are vegetarians is about the same as the percentage that are Muslims (5.8% and 6.5%). So in which case if the minority gets to dictate to the majority, then why don't all schools only serve vegetarian - plus it's cheaper and better for the environment?

The reason why this wouldn't work is that the meat eaters would say it's unfair that they have to eat vegetarian in order to not offend a minority.

However with halal meat the majority that say has an issue with the animal welfare of non stun slaughter or just fancies a bacon sandwich can't say it's unfair because if they did then they would be labelled racist, far right, fascists, islamaphobic etc etc - all over just wanting the option to have a bacon sandwich.

This is why only serving halal meat is a problem.

Nobody is forcing them to be present at the slaughter.

Funny how people only seem to be too bothered about this from a religious standpoint point without being overly bothered generally about their meat. They’ll happily buy eggs from caged chickens but will complain about halal meat?

Halal isn’t just about slaughter, it’s about the whole life of the animal. It is a way for people to ensure animals have been treated humanely through their life. As PP said, they have moved to stunning prior to slaughter which is deemed to be less of an issue.

We don’t really have the same ethical standard in the U.K., beyond the animal welfare act, much of which appears to be the bare minimum. It would be good if we could ensure non halal meat has the same standard. That said, it does nobody much good to treat animals poorly if you want to sell them for food. A happy cow is a healthy cow and a healthy cow is worth way more on the market.

Children do not suffer from a lack of bacon and sausages.😆😆😆

@1dayatatime to be honest most schools I know serve halal for chicken, lamb and beef but also serve pork/bacon for some of the meals.
Those that don't eat pork (religious reasons, vegetarians or just don't like it) can choose one of the other options.
Having halal for chicken, lamb and beef doesn't mean they can't offer pork for some meals.

No. School meals are (sadly) not a gourmet experience. can eat regular meat any time in the week.

It's called freedom of choice.

Children do not suffer from a vegetarian diet but we don't impose that.

They have the same freedom of choice they had before. Meat or vegetarian.🤷‍♀️

Its a school canteen, not a carvery.

Some schools are fully vegetarian though…

Wouldn’t bother us.

No what you mean is a choice between certain halal meats and vegetarian.

Bacon and pork products and jelly with certain gelatins in it. You have effectively banned an entire meat group from a school menu.

Ritually slaughtered meat is also forbidden to Sikhs - how is halal meat going to work for them?

I don't see Hindus campaigning for schools removing beef from the menus either.

The difference of course is that Sikhs and Hindus are the most integrated of all religions in the UK.

Halal food should not be served at a Catholic school as Christians cannot eat food sacrificed to false idol's. Halal food is for Muslims and Muslims should not be attending Catholic School as you have to be baptised into the Catholic Church

The christian god is the same god as the Muslim god. The god of Abraham. Allah. "Our god and your god is one"
Muslims dont sacrifice animals to a false god. They slaughter them for food and they express gratitude for the food.

Islam reject the holy trinity so obviously not the same God, go read your Quran properly if you really are Muslim

Christians, Jews and Muslims may all be People of the Book but I don’t want to partake in other religious practices. They are free to practice what they choose but don’t make me take part.

The christian god is the same god as the Muslim god.

And Pan, Zeus and Odin .....

Absolutely. It’s barbaric to kill without stunning. I don’t care which religion it is I think it should all be banned.

All of the Catholic schools where I live have pupils of many faiths and no faith at all. You don't have to be baptised to go to Catholic school.

In Scotland, Catholic schools will admit non-Catholic pupils if they have space. This has been the case for some years now.

There are some other faith schools, but not that many. There's an Orthodox Christian school outside Edinburgh, but I'm unclear as to their entrance policy.

I recall that a muslim school in Glasgow was closed down after failing an inspection. https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/scotland-travel/glasgow/failing-muslim-school-may-be-closed-tprjkm2v0th

My late husband worked in a slaughterhouse in the north of Scotland one summer and told me that there were definitely instances when animals were missed by the stunning gun - it just wasn't publicised. This would probably have been in the very early '70s.

I hear that things have changed now, but I was present when unstunned pigs were slaughtered in a mountain village in Eastern Europe one time and the animals were most definitely distressed. (The lack of stunning was simply because it wasn't available in the that part of the world in the '70s.)

I didn't witness the slaughter, but I heard it - the villagers were preparing for a wedding. I wouldn't touch pork/bacon for some time after that.

I agree that the animals should be stunned.

My DS attends Catholic school as he is baptised and DH is a Catholic. There are a number of non-Catholics in the school, including Muslims.

I wouldn’t particularly care as I’m a meat eater and I have to reconcile myself that all animal slaughter involves some degree of stress for the animal. Most halal meat sold in the UK comes from animals that have been pre-stunned, so it’s no worse or better than traditional slaughter.

Yes I wouid be annoyed

Sikhs can’t eat halal meat, Jews won’t be able to eat it either. I’m an atheist so it makes zero difference to me BUT when I was a kid the kids who couldn’t eat the meat just had the veggie option.

The problem with doing stuff like this is you try to make one group more comfortable and it’s at the expense of another group. It never ends.

If that is genuinely the only choice offered, I'd move my child to another school.

Thankfully, ds18 is now at a rural uni where he buys his own food, which knowing him, will consist of mostly pork, bacon, chicken & fish. DS likes to cook so is more than capable of finding an ethical butcher.

Surah Al-'Ankabut 29:46
We believe in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and your God is only One. And to Him we fully submit.