24 October 2016

Muslim rules on halal meat mean 'animals are dying in pain'

Islamic scholars are often unaware that stunning animals before they are killed prevents them from feeling pain, a study has found.

Research by the University of Bristol found that scholars, who help set the rules on what meat is considered “halal”, often didn’t understand the science behind stunning.

Many ordinary Muslims were also ill-informed, the report found.

British Muslims are divided over whether pre-slaughter stunning is a legitimate practice. But the study concluded that it is increasingly being considered forbidden.

Researchers at the School of Veterinary Science found that 69 per cent of Islamic scholars who were questioned said they didn’t think stunning prior to slaughter reduced an animal’s pain. Fifty-nine per cent of halal consumers believed the same. [Evening Standard] Read more