Vets Urge Shops to Label Halal Meat after Mass Public Outcry – But Will Cameron Act?

Some 72 per cent of people back the labelling of halal meat,
according to a new survey

DAILY EXPRESS: VETS have called for supermarkets and butchers to label meat from halal abattoirs after a mass public outcry.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) said that shoppers had a right to know whether their meat came from animals which were not stunned before being slaughtered.

Their calls came after a European Commission survey revealed that 72 per cent of people back the labelling of halal meat.

An EU directive requires animals to be stunned, but Britain was granted exemption for religious communities.

The religious slaughter of goats and sheep rose by 60 per cent between 2011 and 2013 – and some is sold into the general market.

But John Blackwell of the BVA said that not labelling halal meat "takes away the individual's right to make an informed decision".

The government has repeatedly ducked the issue, with the Conservative manifesto even promising to "protect methods of religious slaughter".

Last year David Cameron said that he was "very happy to eat halal meat", adding: "While I am prime minister of this country, halal is safe in Britain." Read on and comment » | Tom Parfitt | Tuesday, June 09, 2015