Religious Butchering Now Commonplace in Britain, Leading Vet Claims

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Non-Muslim Britons are being forced to eat animals slaughtered in "appalling" pain because religious butchering is becoming so common, a former chief vet has claimed.

Prof Bill Reilly, ex-president of the British Veterinary Association, said cutting the throats of lambs, chickens and other animals without stunning them breaches legal requirements because it causes significant pain, fear and distress.

British and EU law permits the method of religious slaughter to account for Muslim and Jewish dietary practices, but stipulates that the animals must not be caused "unnecessary suffering."

Prof Reilly called for the practice to be dramatically curbed, suggesting that some slaughterhouses are refusing to stun animals simply to cut costs, rather than for religious reasons.

Writing in the Veterinary Record [Full text £], he said the number of animals having their throats slit while still fully conscious – a practice known as non-stun slaughter – was "unacceptable".

Referring to a report by the former Animal Welfare Council he claimed that "such a massive injury could result in very significant pain and distress", particularly because the throat has a large number of nerve endings. Read on and comment » | Nick Collins, Science Correspondent | Friday, May 04, 2012

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Dutch parliament votes to ban ritual slaughter of animals: The Dutch parliament on Tuesday voted to ban ritual slaughter in landmark animal rights legislation that has been compared to Nazi persecution of the Jews by the country's Chief Rabbi. » | Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, June 28, 2012

THE TELEGRAPH: Ban urged on kosher and halal butchery: Muslim and Jewish methods of slaughter, involving slitting animals' throats and letting them bleed to death, should be banned immediately, Government advisers said yesterday. ¶ The Farm Animal Welfare Council, which advises ministers on livestock cruelty, said in a report published yesterday that the way in which halal and kosher meats are produced was intrinsically cruel and caused severe suffering for sheep, goats and cattle. » | Robert Uhlig, Farming Correspondent | Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Related here, here, and here

This is Halal
This video filmed by GAIA exposes the suffering caused by the Halal method of animal slaughter.

As you can see the animals are not stunned before they are killed. Many animals endure several minutes of sheer panic and agony before they die. This slaughter is happening around the world including Europe. It is also happening in the U.K. This meat is also being imported to the U.K. in large quantities RIGHT NOW. It is being sold in restaurants, pubs, schools, supermarkets, and many fast food outlets across the UK - completely unlabeled.

You may well have eaten this stuff without realising it.

In some abattoirs the animals are stunned so that they are partially paralysed but not rendered unconscious, so called 'stun to stun' This kind of stunning can often be more cruel as the animal cannot express the pain it is suffering.

Please write to your MP and demand a ban on Halal and Kosher slaughter in Europe and clear labeling of un-stunned meat: www.writetothem.com

Pigs Battered with Metal Pole at Abattoir
NEWS.COM.AU: VIDEO footage from a western Sydney abattoir under investigation for animal cruelty shows pigs being battered over the head with a metal pole.

The NSW Food Authority yesterday halted slaughtering at Hawkesbury Valley Meat Processors at Wilberforce after it received video footage showing "acts of gross animal mistreatment".

The footage, shown on ABC's Lateline program last night, depicted images of a slaughterman at the abattoir bashing one pig seven times over the head with what appeared to be a metal bar.

Another pig was hit 13 times, apparently because it had not been stunned properly and remained conscious ahead of slaughter.

Other images showed sheep still apparently conscious after having their throats cut. » | AAP | Friday, February 10, 2012

Religious Slaughter: Halal, Kosher

Iowa Kosher Slaughterhouse Supervisor to Be Sentenced on Federal Immigration Charges
SEATTLE TIMES: A supervisor arrested after a massive immigration raid at an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday afternoon in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A supervisor arrested after a massive immigration raid at an Iowa kosher slaughterhouse is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday afternoon in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza, who supervised four departments at Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to hire illegal immigrants and one count of aiding and abetting the hiring of illegal immigrants.

He was arrested last summer following a May raid in which 389 people were arrested. A few months later he struck a plea deal with prosecutors and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Another supervisor, Martin De La Rosa-Loera, was sentenced earlier this month to 23 months in prison followed by two years supervised release. [Source: Seattle Times] Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company | Thursday, March 19, 2009

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EU Sets New Slaughterhouse Rules; But Only for the Kafir!
Image courtesy of Google Images. Halal slaughtering seems to have been overlooked by the EU!
BBC: The European Commission says new legislation is needed to improve animal welfare at European slaughterhouses.

Current EU rules on animal slaughter are "outdated in many respects," the commission said on Thursday.

Under a new proposal, abattoirs would have to ensure proper training for staff and monitor the efficiency of their stunning equipment.

But current stunning methods would not be banned. The proposal still requires approval by all 27 EU governments. EU Sets New Slaughterhouse Rules >>> | September 18, 2008

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