UK scholars reject machine slaughtered chicken as Halal

Leading Islamic scholars in the UK have unanimously rejected the automated slaughter of halal poultry, insisting each bird must be killed with a hand held knife.

Although all 35 scholars attending a recent debate on religious slaughter rejected the mechanisation of the procedure under halal law, the issue remains controversial, with some halal organisations reported to take a more pragmatic view and apparently agreeing to automated slaughter under certain conditions.

Speaking at the recent BMPA conference, the UK’s agriculture minister Jim Paice said that the implementation of an EU regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing in January 2013 provided an opportunity to consider how to improve the welfare of animals slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, an issue which had risen up the political agenda in recent years.

“The position of the government is absolutely clear. We would prefer to see all animals stunned before slaughter but we do respect the right for people to eat meat which is prepared in a way that reflects their religious beliefs and we will continue to allow religious slaughter, ” he told delegates.

According to the guidelines slaughtermen must use a sharp knife to sever the jugular veins and carotid arteries as well as the oesophagus and trachea of animals, but not the spinal cord as this restricts convulsion, which in turn restricts the pumping out of blood.

A survey last year showed that of 4.7 million birds slaughtered in one week using so-called halal procedures only 1.2 million used the correct manual method.

The government is facing renewed pressure to outlaw the slaughter of animals that have not been  made unconscious. Current rules order that stock must be stunned before slaughter – by electrocution, gassing, or shooting retractable rods into their brains. But there are exemptions for animals to be killed without stunning, according to Muslim and Jewish traditions

We don't want Halal meat in Great Britain and we don't want Muslims either. The way they kill their animals is barbaric. Muslims are the so called minorty, if that's the case then why are all the main supermarkets selling it, why do the children have to eat it in their school meals, and why has pork and pork sausage been banned. I'ts also the meat served in hospitals and in the pub meals, not forgetting every take away there is. Everything is for Muslims, all the British way are going fast, and all the Muslim ways are coming in. Just how much more are the British people going to take before something is done.