Denmark is the latest nation in Europe to introduce a legal ban of the ritual slaughter of animals within its borders. In a move which has sparked controversy across Europe and beyond the Danish Minister for Agriculture and Food Dan Jørgensen told Denmark’s TV2 that “animal rights come before religion”.
Although both the Jewish method of killing (shechitah) and the Islamic method (Dhabihah) have their defendants, their reasoning is based on texts written in very different lands and in very different times to the standards of animal welfare being sought and implemented in 21st century Europe. Jewish Orthodox law and Muslim law require animals be intact and conscious when they are killed so the reality is that the animal is drained of blood by a (hopefully) single slash of a blade without any form of pre-stunning which some authorities suggest is cruel and unnecessary.
In a report into the slaughter of white meat, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) said evidence suggested that chicken and turkeys were likely to be conscious for up to 20 seconds as blood seeped out of them. The animals are killed by a transverse incision across their neck, cutting skin, muscle, trachea, oesophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins and major nerves.
“Such a large cut will inevitably trigger sensory input to pain centres in the brain,” the council said. “Our conclusions … are that such an injury would result in significant pain and distress … before insensibility supervenes. FAWC is in agreement with the prevailing scientific consensus that slaughter without pre-stunning causes pain and distress. On the basis that this is avoidable and in the interests of welfare, FAWC concludes that all birds should be pre-stunned before slaughter.”
Ritual slaughter has been illegal for many years in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland.
Observers of the Jewish and Muslim faiths find ways around the ban such as importing meat from neighbouring countries.
There have been suggestions that Denmark may be the first nation to impose an import ban leading to speculation that adherents of these faiths may turn to vegetarianism or move to other nations where animal welfare is a lesser concern.
There is a growing opinion that our government should consider banning all inhumane animal slaughter in Britain, along with an importation and sale ban of foods derived from these cruel and barbaric practices.
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(Party Member) I hope our new party adopts a policy of a total ban on cruel ritual slaughter. With a complete ban on the import of such products. Maybe a legal challenge against the charter of the R.S.P.C.A. could be undertaken. They have constantly turned a ‘blind eye’ to this animal cruelty.
Britain should follow suit with Denmark. As a nation which claims to be animal loving we should not be allowing this terrible cruelty on our soil, or allowing the results of such cruelty through our borders. Isn’t it strange how there were so many left/liberal people who demanded that fox hunting should be banned because of its cruelty, but they remain silent on this subject. Ritual slaughter is a far worse cruelty than a pack of hounds killing a fox within seconds. The hypocrisy of these people, and all of the MP’s who voted against fox hunting but will not speak out against ritual slaughter, is simply breathtaking.
I have no objection to a ban on this very cruel practice.
Lets not forget our politicians are grovelling cowards before we build our hopes up.
Top vet calls for reform of kosher and halal slaughter practices
President-elect of the British Veterinary Association says more emphasis on animal welfare is needed
A total ban on killing animals without stunning them first might not be far off if religious groups cannot agree a more humane way of slaughter soon, a top vet has said.
The president-elect of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) John Blackwell said he wanted to discuss the issue with Jewish and Muslim groups in order to find a compromise that puts more emphasis on the welfare of the animal.
“I don’t think an outright ban is a long way off, there is enough of a view that this practice is inhumane and causes suffering at the time of death,” said Blackwell.
More: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/06/reform-of-kosher-and-halal-slaughter-practices