to not understand the fuss over halal meat?

[StuckInTheMiddleWithYou]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1317312/Waitrose-forced-ditch-halal-lamb-Duchy-range.html

Why on earth are people objecting so much? Do they really think that the standard method of killing an animal is any less cruel?

Quite mad.

Aye - even if Halal slaugher is crueler than conventional that is the least of the problem for a chicken in a Thai battery farm where much of our chicken is produced.

did you all know that KFC means kant find chicken
so dont eat there even if you do eat Halal meat
because its not bloody chicken
Its probably gazibo or whatever its called (that funny looking cow from Africa)

Don't get too many organic chickens from Thailand !

No, but that is where most of our chicken comes from, so if your concerned about animal welfare thats where you have the biggest impact.

I buy Halal lamb, merely because it is diced the way I like to cook it, and unless I get a butcher to do it (and in the supermarket there isn't one) it's easier to buy Halal meat already prepared. No religious purpose intended...just as well really as I'm not a Muslim!

my dh saw the title and went off on one. he has never gotten over the halal quick burger incident. basically quick burger is france's own mcdonalds, a french minister went into his local quick for a bacon burger and was told that the restaurant had gone halal and would no longer be serving bacon with their burgers. he went mental. dh heard about also went mental. the two types of people he doesn't trust are people who don't like bacon and religious hard nuts, actually anyone who believes in a deity, but thats another conversation....

I object to Halal meat on animal welfare grounds, and as this also includes how the animal was reared, I buy my meat from my local butcher, who even notes which farms the meat is coming from. I eat less meat now, and make far more out of leftovers.

I noticed this week that NZ lamb is classed as halal, but British lamb can vary. Interestingly the lamb in my local Tescos is now labelled as "British and NZ", ie mixed. So you cannot now avoid NZ halal lamb if you wanted to. I guess Tescos must have had sales of NZ lamb drop since this came out.

Dartshasbegun, Waitrose halal meat is slaughtered in the same way as non-halal meat. Apart from the prayer.

What I don't get, is why people are up in arms about prayers said over meat whereas don't seem to give a toss about the life that animal has had before death.
Also, does it not make sense to be saying something at the time of death, in a respectful, grateful kind of way, ie aknowledging the actual animals part in the food you will eat?

I am vegan so none of this applies to me but I don't believe anyone has the right to kick off about pain an animal may or may not feel at slaughter, if they don't look at how it was treated alive.

I agree Lovesdogs. In fact that is one reason why the only supermarket we buy meat from is Waitrose. I just don't trust the others. I'd rather pay more and eat less meat and know the animal has had a decent life.

1. Not all meat sold in Waitrose is stunned before slaughter. Waitrose sells some kosher meat and meat products, which by definition will not be stunned (as meat is not kosher if an animal is stunned pre-slaughter).
2. I see lots of people harrumphing about lack of choice. If you're that fussed about lack of choice as opposed to "the Muslims Taking Over", why have you not posted outraged articles about all the other lack of choice you have in relation to the meat you buy in Waitrose and elsewhere? you have choice only re organic, free-range or non-organic, non-free-range in Waitrose. You don't know anything additional about environmental standards, husbandry standards, quality of feedstock, which abbatoir is used and its standards, etc etc. You need to be honest with us and with yourselves you only object because this is about the Muslims (or about religions), not because of what is actually happening.

My objection is because I eat organic in order to give the animals the most humane treatment possible and had expected that the method of slaughter would also be the highest UK standard possible. I've seen several reports that 'halal' and 'kosher' stunning methods (if used at all) are not as humane because accidentally killing the animal before ritual slaughter is not acceptable. I feel that we have been deceived and I'm not happy about not having the choice.

In addition, those who are Sikhs or devout Christians cannot eat meat which has been ritually-slaughtered in this way. It's discrimination not to tell them what they are eating so that they can avoid it.

If we are going to continue to allow animals to be slaughtered in less humane ways, we should at least have some clear labeling.

Jessie what gives you the impression that organic = humane? The two aren't related.

quincemince:
Organisations such as Compassion in World Farming and the Soil Association gave me that impression.

Waitrose meat is slaughtered in accordance with Compassion in World Farming requirements.

What exactly are their standards?

Quince, I am vegan. However I assume organic is currently the highest standard available in this country...so, short of rearing pigs/cows oneself and killing them humanely, I am assuming that you cannot get better than organic, do you know of any meat that is more humane?

''We do not allow Waitrose animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning. It is important to note that there are two methods of Halal slaughter; pre-stunned and non-stunned. All Waitrose lamb is pre-stunned and will have been rendered insensible to pain in line with the recommendations from Compassion in World Farming and the RSPCA. We have allowed the halal blessing at the point of slaughter so that abattoirs can sell the parts of the animal that we cannot sell therefore minimising food waste.

Aside from the blessing, the method of slaughter would not differ from non-halal slaughter. Our priority at slaughter for all meat is the welfare of the animal and have insisted that all of our abattoirs are independently assessed by the Humane Slaughter Association which is a voluntary measure.

We have consistently been recognised in the industry as the leaders in animal welfare, having recently won 'Most compassionate supermarket' from Compassion in World Farming. '