13 August 2016

Ritual slaughter at abattoirs will not be monitored

Slaughterhouses will be allowed to conceal the total number of animals they kill without having stunned them first.

The Food Standards Agency’s new monthly survey of abattoirs will not routinely record the number of animals killed under exemptions granted to Muslim and Jewish slaughtermen allowing them not to comply with the general legal requirement to pre-stun.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) urged the FSA to publish regular reports on how many animals had their throats cut while they were still conscious and able to feel pain to determine the extent of unnecessary suffering by animals and how much unstunned meat was being sold for general consumption. [The Times (£)] Read more