FAWC (The Farm Animal Welfare Council) concluded that throat cutting without pre-stunning would result in ' very significant pain and distress'. Other reports reviewing hundreds of references found that it is certainly the case that animals feel pain if they have their throats cut without being stunned first. The evidence is irrefutable. Yet while the Muslim community only represent 3-4 % of the UK population, 25% of meat in the UK market is Halal. So clearly not all Halal meat is being eaten by people for whom this would pose any meaning.
Bill Reilly in his article in the Veterinary Record (Reilly 2012) poses the view that this is enirely unacceptable. Halal and Kosher meat use should be restricted to communities for whom it has some religious meaning, and within those communities the acceptance of stunning can be encouraged. Elsewhere we should ensure that meat is labelled clearly as many consumers would choose not to eat such meat if they knew.
Reilly, B. (2012) Slaughter without Stunning. Viewpoint, In: Veterinary Record, V. 170, pp. 468-469.
