Religious slaughtered meats

jessie66

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Sep 12, 2010
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Having recently discovered exactly what religiously slaughtered meat entails, I do not want to ever unwittingly consume this barbaric foodstuff. How can I protect myself from unwittingly buying this or do I need to become a veggie. On nearly all products you buy it tells you the calorific contents etc, but does not tell you how it was slaughtered. Having written to places like Tesco, Asda who sell this, I got no assurance that the unlabelled meat I can buy will not be halal.
Although all slaughter is horrible and yes imguilty cos i eat meat,although i am eating more quorn meat substitute, to slaughter an animal whilst fully conscious whithout stunning and being left to choke in its own blood for up to 10 mins is barbaric.
 

DrChan

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Sep 13, 2010
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It is a popular myth that Shechita, the Jewish religious humane method is a painful method of slaughter. In fact, there is ample scientific evidence to the contrary.

The process requires the rapid uninterrupted severance of major vital organs and vessels, which produces an instant drop in blood pressure in the brain.

This abrupt loss of pressure results in the immediate and irreversible cessation of consciousness and sensibility to pain. The animal does not choke on its own blood

Shechita is instantaneous. Due to the immediate drop in blood pressure and anoxia of the brain, the animal loses consciousness within two seconds and since Shechita incorporates an effective and irreversible stun, it is both humane and efficient.

Shechita accounts for only 225,000 of the almost 750 million animals slaughtered each year for food in the UK (0.03 per cent).

The real concern for animal welfare activists should be the far greater numbers of animals mis-stunned by captive-bolt or electricity every year.

Both Defra and Compassion For World Farming recognise that more than three million animals are mis-stunned every year by captive bolt and electronarcosis. The RSPCA has emphasised its "long-standing concern about the inadequacy of stunning methods and the extra stress they cause to animals".

Those with a genuine concern for animal welfare would do well to turn their attention to that problem, and the issue of adequately labelling the millions of "mis-stunned" animals which suffer extreme pain and distress, rather than propagate ill-informed myths about Jewish practice.
 

jessie66

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Sep 12, 2010
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I THINK YOU WILL FIND DEFRA, RSPCA, BVA TO NAME A FEW PREFER ALL ANIMALS TO BE STUNNED. PLEASE DO NOT CLASS ME AS AN ANIMAL ACTIVIST I AM MERLEY A PERSON WHO CARES ABOUT ANIMAL WELFARE!!

Religious slaughter - DEFRA
There are long-standing provisions in our law which, subject to specific requirements, permit the slaughter of animals without stunning to meet Jewish and Muslim religious requirements. Whilst the Government would prefer that all animals were stunned before slaughter, it recognises the needs of certain communities and accepts the importance which they attach to the right to slaughter animals for food in accordance with their beliefs. Religious slaughter must be carried out only in approved red meat slaughterhouses or, in the case of poultry, in approved or other officially regulated slaughterhouses (see guidance about religious slaughter for the Muslim community). We attend regular meetings with representatives of the Muslim community to address any areas of ongoing concern. These meetings are chaired by the Food Standards Agency. We also hold occasional meetings with Jewish organisations.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council has concluded that slaughter without pre-stunning does cause suffering to the animals.

SRSPCA

WHY IS RELIGIOUS SLAUGHTER WORSE THAN OTHER SLAUGHTER?

While we fully know that all slaughter is extremely traumatic for animals, we believe that religious slaughter is even more so. The animal's throat is cut and it is bled to death; it is fully conscious throughout this process. It can take up to 16 minutes for the animal to die.

A study* showed that on a scale of 100 the agony of death by:
Throat Cutting (equal to Halal or Kosher methods) = 86. The 2nd worst death except for being burnt to death by fire
Gun Shot to Head (equal to the UK's legally required method of stunning) = 13.
 

tradedemon

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Sep 16, 2010
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Jessie,

Not a religious man myslef, but what proof do you have that slaughtering without stunning is more painful or harmful for the animal ?

Also i don't think religions do it on the basis of what's worse ? It's not down to human logic, if you believe in a creator and he's made everything and knows about everything then these religious people are simply following the practice set down by god.

Now if you don't believe in god or believe all religions should go to hell then that's a different issue. And I don't think anybody can help you there.
 

bennjammin

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Oct 13, 2010
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Sadly, our spineless government has allowed exemptions from our animal welfare legislation to cater for 'religious' slaughter.
I ask every butcher I buy meat from to find out how the animal was slaughtered. Sometimes, I have to wait 20 minutes or more while the butcher phones the slaughterhouse..........
I also complain to the duty manager of Asda/Tesco/et al when I see 'halal' stickers on packs of poultry: generally, their response is that they are simply trying to cater for the entire local demographic - so I ask them to go find out how many meat packs have been rejected for religious purposes and so are unlabelled :) (I'm VERY patient when I need to be!)
I'm a member of the Humane Slaughter Association, who campaign and educate for the humane treatment of animals up to and at the point of slaughter: not enough people know of this organisation, or the good works it does, so they don't have a big enough voice to ensure the proper, respectful treatment of our meat animals. Join at hsa.org
Another website with a 'useful' letter, regarding labelling, to send to parliamentarians is scotlandforanimals.org and click on 'religious slaughter' (I haven't had enough posts to put the entire url in....)
It's time the majority spoke up........
Oh - and check the labels on packs of Instant Noodles, etc.. - the Chicken Sauce sachet often has the 'halal' logo on it :(
 

jessie66

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Sep 12, 2010
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Thanks Bennjammin for your reply, even kellogs and campbells now cater halal style. It seems this country is all for pleasing the minority 4% but the remaining 96% have to shut up and put up. I am not even replying to people who want to just argue as to how do I no it pains the animal more during halal slaughter, I mean it's just obvious!!!
I am now looking at a private law suit as our human rights have been violated. I have been speaking with Sikhs on this subject and their religion strictly forbids them to eat this form of meat, but unfortunatley the government does not even consider their religion!
I am facebook members with scotland for animals and follow the HSA.
Our facebook group and petition is growing daily and we will not stop until this barbaric and outdated practice is stopped in the UK.
 

bennjammin

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Oct 13, 2010
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As for the 'proof' about non-stunned slaughter being cruel or not........well, it doesn't take much imagination to come to the correct decision about that one ;-)
Quite apart from the ability to project our own feelings (NOT emotions) onto others undergoing some kind of traumatic experience - such as how would it feel to have your head partially severed from your body and slowly bleeding to death, gasping for air, while the adrenalin glands pump out adrenalin to heighten all the senses - anatomy and physiology demonstrate that severing the carotid arteries doesn't necessarily mean that the brain is instantly starved of oxygenated blood: due to the elastic/muscular nature of arteries, they recoil into the soft tissues and 'seal off'. The blood they'd normally carry is compelled by the brain's sense of self-preservation to find another supply route - the vertebral arteries.
(Note to 'Religious People': DO NOT tell me this is rubbish - the safest, least risky way of gelding a horse is for the vet to pull the testicles out and away from the horse's body until the arteries 'snap' and retreat deep inside the abdomen, where they seal off to prevent bleeding and infection. Whilst the horse is under heavy sedation and analgesia, obviously!)
The only reason I can see for religious/cruel slaughter is Power..............
Looking forward to replies from the zealots ;-)