The 'stunning' truth of our meat
I have investigated and researched this issue myself, by personally contacting each source and interviewee. I have not lifted any references or quotes.
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| Halal butcher shop in Oldham |
CONSUMERS are still raising concerns to the government about the problematic consequences of not knowing how meat is prepared, even after the 10 minute rule bill initiated by Member of Parliament, Philip Davies, was spoken against last year. Fizah Tahir investigates the Islamic, halal killing methods of animals that are causing a national frenzy.
A lack of specific labelling as to how the animal was killed has led to upheaval in different groups of the UK’s population such as, the Muslim, halal meat consumers. Halal meat and the regular, British standard meat differ largely and the problem is we are unaware of what kind of meat we are consuming, in terms of killing methods.
The halal label on restaurant menus, supermarket meat and other outlets is understood by Muslims, yet can be easily overlooked by non-Muslims. Opponents of halal meat claim they unknowingly, may be eating meat which comes from an animal that was killed in an “inhumane” way.
Not only has this sparked fury with the opponents, halal meat consumers are also enraged, but for a different reason. After a popular response to halal supermarket meat and restaurants nation-wide such as Sainsburys and Nandos, it was soon revealed that this so called ‘halal’ does not meet the Islamic standard, due to pre stunning methods.
Halal is the Arabic word for lawful. In the Muslim faith, strict rules are applied as to how to enjoy the best meat possible taking into consideration animal welfare, hygiene, health and quality.
Environmental Health Practitioner, Ruksana Shain is a member of the Food Standards Agency’s Muslim Organisations’ Working Group and founder of Behalal.org - a voluntary based, non-profit organisation educating consumers about all things halal. She said:
“In the ideal world, halal is really organic farming, allowing the animal to breed in its natural habitat rather than to be forced fed, or boxed with antibiotics. That’s what true halal is, but in the modern day we have a lot of animals that go into the industry coming from battery farms, like chickens.
“It starts all the way from the rearing of the animals, the husbandry, the handling, the transportation, so from birth all the way up until the slaughterhouse and the slaughter - the cut.”
Requirements of halal slaughter
The killing of the animal is what differs from non halal meat and is also the part that causes most hysteria and controversy. These are the main requirements that must be met for halal slaughtering.
1.The animal must be alive
2.The slaughter person must be a Muslim
3.The slaughterer must be facing Mecca and reading the Tasmiya (a special prayer which in English reads, In the name of God, God the greatest) while swiftly cutting the throat including, the veins and the wind-pipe of the animal.
There is no pre stunning or other form of shocking the animals in the halal method, because this is believed to make the animals suffer pain and distress, making the meat unlawful. However research shows that over 80 per cent of animals slaughtered as halal are pre stunned. For Muslims, this is an extremely worrying concern and leads to the question, “Do we really understand these labels?”
UK standard
In a report by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, it stated:
“The Government would prefer to see all animals stunned before they are slaughtered for food. However, we do also recognise the need to respect the rights of people to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs and the Government’s position is that we have no plans to ban religious slaughter.”
The non-stunning method is legal in the UK for religious slaughter of Muslims and Jews, but;
“it is important to realise that religious slaughter does not automatically mean that animals are slaughtered without being stunned.”
The Food Standard Agency carried out an animal welfare survey, during one week in September 2011. Here is a detailed breakdown which includes figures on the number of animals slaughtered by religious methods, both stunned and non-stunned.
A total of 43,772 cattle / calves were slaughtered at 194 establishments, of which:
• 1,314 (3%) were slaughtered by the Shechita (Jewish) method at 4 establishments.
10% of these were stunned immediately after bleeding.
• 1,727 (4%) were slaughtered by the Halal (Muslim) method at 16 establishments.
84% of these were stunned before slaughter, and less than 1% stunned after bleeding.
A total of 307,512 sheep and goats were slaughtered at 202 establishments, of which:
• 1,917 (less than 1%) were slaughtered by the Shechita (Jewish) method (all not stunned) at 4
establishments
• 154,795 (50%) were slaughtered by the Halal (Muslim) method at 39 establishments.
81% of these were stunned before slaughter and less than 1% stunned after bleeding.
A total of 16,101,844 poultry were slaughtered at 73 establishments, of which:
• 71,236 (less than 1%) were slaughtered by the Shechita (Jewish) method (all not stunned) at 5
establishments
• 4,766,237 (30%) were slaughtered by the Halal (Muslim) method at 29 establishments.
88% of these were stunned before slaughter.
Food Standard Agency RESULTS OF THE 2011 FSA ANIMAL WELFARE SURVEY IN GREAT BRITAIN.
The Jewish community are clearly stronger and determined to fulfil the correct, non stun kosher requirements. The Muslim population is higher in Britain, yet they are alot lax and apathetic towards the proper halal method which is non stun!
Is the halal slaughter humane?
Dr Abdul Majid Katme is a spokesman of the Islamic Medical Association UK for the prophetic method of dabh (animal slaughter). He has also appeared on Channel 4’s 4thought and conducted medical research, comparing the prophetic method with the English method of slaughtering animals. From his research, he found that the non-stunning/prophetic method of slaughter is “medically humane” since the animal feels “no pain and is healthy” for the consumer. He explains why the halal method must require cutting of the throat to drain the blood, without pre stunning methods:
“We know blood medically is full of germs and bacteria, it’s like a sewage system in the body. The highest amount of blood going out of the body of the animal is when you do the direct cut without stunning. Any blood is harmful to health if consumed.
“When the animal dies, the heart stops, so if you do the cut after, there is no pumping heart to expel all the blood inside the body.” He added.
Dr Katme also talked about why stunning is unhealthy for the animal and the consumer:
“We discover when the electric shock is done, this causes blood capillaries, small blood vessels inside the meat, rupture. So the blood oozes and it’s inside the meat. So when people are eating this stunned animal, the blood remains inside and this is forbidden in Islam. Stunning leads to unhealthy types of meat all the time.”
The Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC) does not believe pre stunned meat is halal and therefore only certifies suppliers who follow the non-stunned, slaughter method. The Halal Food Authority (HFA) however, approves of stunning before slaughter. HFA is popular for certifying halal KFC restaurants nation-wide. However, Dr Katme explains why the pre stunning method is haram (unlawful).
“We discover some animals die from stunning before you do the cut and this is haram – forbidden in Islam to eat.
“The law allows Muslims and Jews to do the animal slaughter without the use of any stunning, but to our surprise most Muslim abattoirs and most halal shops in Britain, sell stunned animals and this is really disgraceful.”
From this we gather that, sometimes the animal dies when stunned, before slaughter and it is haram to slaughter an animal that is already dead. Secondly, even if the animal does not die, the unclean blood remains in the meat when stunned and slaughtered which is haram!
It is shocking that over 80 percent of meat we consume is stunned, then slaughtered and this is certified as halal when it is actually haram. It isn't just the case of Nandos or KFC, the same stunned meat is being purchased by some of our so-called 'trusted', local butchers and then sold to us.
I asked Mohammed Saleem of Association of Non Stun Abbatoirs (ANSA) what we must look for to eat halal. This is what he had to say:
Compare the number to the following [which are proper, halal, non stunning abbatoirs in the UK].
4015 A S Audhali Farm Gate FARM Fresh Poultry Limited Tel: +44 (0) 1926 484552 / 484280
4540 Summer Poultry Products LTD. Tel: +44 (0)1564 742344
4649 M. Najibs & Sons LTD. Tel: +44 (0)1283 520011
4496 Pak Mecca Meats LTD Tel: +44 (0)1216221497
2454 Premier Halal Meats Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)1754762786
2430 Yorkshire Halal Meat Suppliers Tel: +44 (0)1924 272878
DEMAND YOUR MEAT FROM MEMBERS OF ANSA ONLY AND TELL THE SUPPLIER STOP CHEATING HIS MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS."
If you truly wish to eat halal, do not take this information lightly!
In the early 1960s many people migrated from the sub continents of India to Britain including, Pakistani Muslims, to temporarily serve the British economy’s needs of the labour market. The dream of returning home ‘one day’ soon faded as the migrated families permanently settled. Today, around five per cent of the UK population are Muslims. Halal butchers soon proved popular in densely Muslim populated areas such as Yorkshire and Birmingham. Muslim minorities were getting their meat and halal meat businesses began to flourish.
Oldham is a town within the cities of Greater Manchester, historically known as the ‘boomtown’ of industrial revolution and its thriving textile manufacturing mills with a high population of Pakistani Muslims. Within just one of these areas there are around 10 halal butchers, two of which are only two minutes of a walking distance apart from each other.
Michael Meacher, Member of Parliament representing Oldham west and Royton said:
“I raised the issue of halal meat production with the Government earlier this year in response to an article raised with me by a non Muslim who said they believed killing animals without stunning them first was cruel and therefore felt that slaughter methods should be clearly labelled in order to choose which meat to purchase.
“I think all meat should be clearly labelled so that people of all religious beliefs can be sure as to how the meat being purchased is slaughtered.” He added.
Meacher also mentioned when enquiring to Sainsbury's supermarket,
“ they purchased meat from suppliers who supplied both halal and non halal meat, indicating that they were not entirely sure how the meat they sold was slaughtered.”
Michael Meacher, Member of Parliament representing Oldham west and Royton said:
“I raised the issue of halal meat production with the Government earlier this year in response to an article raised with me by a non Muslim who said they believed killing animals without stunning them first was cruel and therefore felt that slaughter methods should be clearly labelled in order to choose which meat to purchase.
“I think all meat should be clearly labelled so that people of all religious beliefs can be sure as to how the meat being purchased is slaughtered.” He added.
Meacher also mentioned when enquiring to Sainsbury's supermarket,
“ they purchased meat from suppliers who supplied both halal and non halal meat, indicating that they were not entirely sure how the meat they sold was slaughtered.”
It seems the British meat industry isn’t as “black and white” as it seems and with the allowance of different, controversial killing methods there are shades of grey. Labelling meats specifically, as “stunned before slaughtered” and “not stunned before slaughtered” would perhaps make purchasing meat easier for all consumers, regardless of faith.
I would advise you to watch the following three videos that truly show the power and essence of the prophetic halal animal slaughter. Viewer discretion is advised.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED:
