Is Halal meat ethical?

blizeH

I always try to eat free range/organic meat where possible, and the horse meat 'scandal' has prompted me to re-think what I eat (purely because it's shocking how poorly the meat industry is regulated, and I find it utterly depressing how the media could not give a f**k about how humanely animals are treated, yet cause a massive fuss over this) and I want to ensure what I eat is as ethically sourced as possible.

So, halal meat? Many places make a big deal out of serving halal meat, many places sure sell it without actually saying as such, but is it ethical?

Looking online and you get massively conflicting views:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question827292.html
vs
http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/06/22/halal-the-original-ethical-meat-eating/

But which is correct? Is stunning an animal more humane?

(I think the easy answer is simply to cut out meat all together, which is another option I'm exploring!)

Enterprise_1701C

I personally think it must be awful to bleed to death. Not entirely sure the animals are stunned anyway, I understood that true halal meat cannot be stunned, something to do with not hearing the prayer that is said over it? So as far as I am concerned it is to be avoided.

flashnazia

Do you have similar reservations about Kosher meat?

hethmar

I wish it could be banned. Being hung upside down with their throat slit - poor bloody animals.

snozberry

I can't stand it and take great offence to some restaurants who choose to sell halal with no alternative. I do not want to eat any animal that has to bleed to death. It is inhumane. They should be stunned and, therefore, feel no pain and be aware of what is happening to them.

Ethical and 'better for us' (which is what one of my friends has to say) my backside.

Edwardia

The Daily Mail has gotten exercised over halal meat and poultry several times, claiming that it is served up unlabelled as such, in schools and in supermarkets. No idea myself whether that is true or not.

I did attempt to find organic halal and kosher meat and poultry to include details on a blog I used to do, to be inclusive.

However, as none of the farms I found slaughter the animals themselves (that would be illegal for sale) they have to go to abattoirs. UK abattoirs must stun before killing.

Confusingly, I did find that the halal and kosher organic reared was religiously certified but in one instance was also Soil Association certified. The Soil Association doesn't allow halal slaughter so again this would indicate that it actually isn't being done.

It seems then that meat and poultry is being proclaimed to be halal and actually isn't.

However meat and poultry not reared in the UK and labelled halal could well be slaughtered without stunning.

flashnazia

Anyway you needn't worry. Most of the 'halal' meat in the UK is actually from stunned animals. If you are worried about unstunned meat then simply avoid any HMC certified meat. This is easy to do as HMC certified meat is hard to find.

antenna

When In Rome Do As The Romans Do.
I dont want animals bled to death for "foriegn" religious reasons........if you dont like it,then,leave.

flashnazia

Edwardia wrote: »

The Daily Mail has gotten exercised over halal meat and poultry several times, claiming that it is served up unlabelled as such, in schools and in supermarkets. No idea myself whether that is true or not.

I did attempt to find organic halal and kosher meat and poultry to include details on a blog I used to do, to be inclusive.

However, as none of the farms I found slaughter the animals themselves (that would be illegal for sale) they have to go to abattoirs. UK abattoirs must stun before killing.

Confusingly, I did find that the halal and kosher organic reared was religiously certified but in one instance was also Soil Association certified. The Soil Association doesn't allow halal slaughter so again this would indicate that it actually isn't being done.

It seems then that meat and poultry is being proclaimed to be halal and actually isn't.

However meat and poultry not reared in the UK and labelled halal could well be slaughtered without stunning.

Personally I think some get whipped up by the 'foreign people may have handled your food!' rubbish. Either that and they perhaps think you can catch 'Muslim' from halal food.

In any case, as I said earlier, most halal food in the UK actually isn't.

flashnazia

antenna wrote: »

When In Rome Do As The Romans Do.
I dont want animals bled to death for "foriegn" religious reasons........if you dont like it,then,leave.

(Halal) popcorn time...

Mojisola

Edwardia wrote: »

Confusingly, I did find that the halal and kosher organic reared was religiously certified but in one instance was also Soil Association certified. The Soil Association doesn't allow halal slaughter so again this would indicate that it actually isn't being done.

It seems then that meat and poultry is being proclaimed to be halal and actually isn't.

It is confusing. I don't see how any meat can be classed as 'organic' and 'halal'.

https://www.soilassociation.org/frequentlyaskedquestions/yourquestion/articleid/2329/do-you-certify-halal-or-kosher-meat
We can only certify halal or kosher meat if it has fully met our organic standards, including those relating to effective stunning prior to slaughter. The relevant standards that our licensees must meet and that we verify at annual and spot inspections are Standard 42.8.2. In these, the stunning process must:

cause instantaneous unconsciousness and insensibility, or
induce unconsciousness without distress, and
maintain unconsciousness until the animal dies.

In addition Standard 42.8.3 states:

You must not slaughter animals without pre-stunning.

This site also thinks the two sets of rules are incompatible and is campaigning for a compromise arrangement -
https://www.jewpro.co.uk/petition/kosher-and-hallal-organic-meat/facts.asp