not tot want to eat halal meat?

[Charis1]

I am finding it harder and harder to avoid. I do my best to ensure any meat I eat has lived and died humanely, and I think a lot of halal meat dies cruelly. I don't want to eat it. But all meat provided at work is halal. Much of the places to eat out cheaply around work and home is halal, and I've even heard a lot of the local super market meat is also halal, even if it isn't marked.

Why can't we have an option of guaranteed non halal meat clearly marked and available?

Just find it so hypocritical. If you're fussed about animal welfare then go veggie.

There was a documentary on channel 4 several years ago about an abattoir in England which dealt with "ordinary" slaughter, kosher and halal. The way that the muslim and jew dealt with the animals was much more respectful. The "ordinary" lambs were being stunned for fun (when they were in a pen together) by young workers, it was appalling.

When the jugular vein is cut the animal loses consciousness within a few seconds. I would eat kosher/halal any day if it was available over "regular" meat. They have strict welfare standards and if they are adhered to then I believe the animal has had a better quality of life and death.

I could laugh at those who think non halal/kosher animals are experiencing joy and happiness in the abbatoir

This is all, both halal and ordinary meat, why I am seriously starting to research and cook more vegetarian style meals.

As time goes by I am just getting more and more disillusioned with the meat industry

Just my opinion.

It's not unreasonable to not want to eat halal meat when there's plenty of sources out there that confirm the animals suffer more when they're killed

Perhaps it's time the government agreed that it's OK for food companies to start correctly labelling meat and letting the consumer know if it is/isn't halal

Topseyt - what illusions did you honestly have in the first place? Is it not clear what the meat industry involves? Has it not always been?

'Humane slaughter' is an oxymoron. The animals know fear; they know what is about to happen to them. To convince ourselves otherwise with sanitised words and terminology - 'freedom food', 'dying well' and so forth is simply an effort to detract from the reality.

they know what is about to happen to them

No they don't.

I don't think that anyone has claimed that animals slaughtered in a non-halal way are experiencing joy in the abbatoir. [Hmm] That's a bit of a straw man argument. As i understand it, it's more that they don't want to eat meat that has needlessly, in this day and age, had its throat cut for the purposes of bleeding to death. I am veggie, but I do believe that slaughter houses should kill animals in a quick and as humane way as possible. The halal way is not the quickest way to kill an animal and I would be interested to check that any animals who are stunned before having their throat cut are actually unconscious or not. What a horrible way to die. Even if they do lose consciousness a couple of seconds after their jugular vein has been cut it is still barbaric and I know which I would prefer.

The "ordinary" lambs were being stunned for fun (when they were in a pen together) by young workers, it was appalling.

Really?! That is awful. I've been thinking about giving up meat recently, I think you've made up my mind for me.

How long do you think the animal is conscious after having his throat (and Travis,it's not only a superficial cut)cut?do you all think the animal just lies there for hours slowly bleeding to death?they are dead in a few seconds,with no oxigen to the brain!baffles me,how supposedly educated people can't understand that.

Like that

"they know what is about to happen to them"

No they don't. But if you eat meat, you eat meat. And you need to accept that you are responsible for animals being bred specifically to be slaughtered. And however that is done it's not Dignitas. The halal/non halal thing is a red herring (sorry, unfortunate phrase) and usually rooted in racism. In this country at least.

It's much more relevant and significant to consider the "cost" of cheap food.

Signlake would you be so kind as to share these numerous sources that show that animals slaughtered for halal and kosher meat suffer more?

The welfare standards are pretty awful whether it is halal or non halal meat. The cast majority if the time animals are stunned before slaughter in either case.

I seem to remember a proposal to outlaw slaughter without stunning. I would definitely support that proposal. New Scientist published an interesting article on the importance and efficacy of stunning before slaughter here

SevenEleven would you rather have a bolt shot through your brain when not stunned? Either option is less than appealing to be honest.

Totally agree with several other posters but haven't read the whole post

Non Halal meat is often killed in a more in humane, stressful and torturous manner.

Stringing chickens up by their claws and expecting a blade to cut through their necks but not allowing for height differences means the chicken that aren't average just get tortured and die of shock.

Cows that are mechanically stunned - the stunning doesn't always work to its full effect so then a dazed cow just gets tortured.

If you want to avoid animal cruelty then be veggie or better, Vegan.

I eat halal cos my kids do and it's far easier to have one supply of meat. Also, I find it a better quality meat and cheaper. My butcher is walking distance.
I also agree that vast majority of it in the UK is stunned but that this is not widely publicised.

How many supposedly educated people can't spell oxygen.

adiia the article I linked to in the previous post says between 10 and 30 seconds on average and up to two minutes in some cases. This was for calves so larger animals I presume would take a bit longer. That is enough for me to support mandatory stunning.

I think the thing to do is to politely ask for a vegetarian option if you must have food from work, or go out and grab a bacon sandwich and eat it elsewhere.

If you don't feel you want to eat meat which has been inhumanely or ritually slaughtered, don't do so. You never know, a veggie option now and then might leave you feeling a bit lighter on your feet.

Of course both options are unappealing! This is why I am veggie. But I understand why some people might not like the idea of an animal's throat being cut. (And as some posters have said, not all of them are stunned first). It's not that they think it is a joyful death to be shot in the head instead.

Fascinated at the confidence with which some posters are saying that animals don't know what is going to happen to them. And you know this because...?

OP, I recommend you read this article by Harold Hillman, a physiologist. It explains why traditional methods of animal slaughter are just as cruel as - and may be more cruel than - halal slaughter.

newhumanist.org.uk/2382/there-will-be-blood

I do think that animals not being stunned first happens a lot less than people think, but I agree with you that there is no excuse not to stun.

Once stunned I think the bolt or cut to the jugular are much of a muchness.

I remember a very informative (with sources) poster talking about this subject a few years ago when a similar thread came up. She confirmed that halal slaughter done correctly was actually quicker and resulted in less suffering for the animal.

I am atheist and have no religious bias, i prefer facts.

ALL animals suffer enormously both mentally and physically during the whole slaughter process. How can they not? People who think that it can be done humanely are disillusioned, seriously.

All killing of animals is cruel and causes suffering. Halal is no worse.
If you don't want animals to suffer don't eat meat.
Do you buy cheap regular meat? Because if you do the welfare standards are terrible. If you'll eat that but not halal it's just racism.

Agree with VeganCow. Anyone feeling sanctimonious about their organic meat purchases needs to get a grip. They still suffer.

"How long do you think the animal is conscious after having his throat (and Travis,it's not only a superficial cut)cut?do you all think the animal just lies there for hours slowly bleeding to death?they are dead in a few seconds,with no oxigen to the brain!baffles me,how supposedly educated people can't understand that."

Oh I don't know, the people who are ritually slaughtered seem to really be in quite some discomfort, actually, so I think we have a reasonable test. I will never reward anyone for, or encourage ritual slaughter if I can help it.

As an aside, it's interesting how many people come out of the woodwork and just lie their heads off about this stuff. As if everyone doesn't see through.