Millions of animals are suffering unnecessarily by being slaughtered without stunning to meet religious demands.
That's why we campaign to end religious exemptions to animal welfare laws.
Animal welfare law requires animals to be stunned before slaughter to minimise their pain, suffering and distress. The only exemption is for Jewish and Muslim communities to meet kosher and halal religious dietary preferences.
The scientific consensus is clear that it is more humane to stun an animal prior to slaughter. The slaughter of animals without pre-stunning is permitted in the UK despite a recommendation by the government's own advisory body, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), that the practice should be banned. FAWC concluded that animals slaughtered without pre-stunning are likely to experience "very significant pain and distress".
RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming and the British Veterinary Association all support an end to non-stun slaughter to improve animal welfare at the time of death.
- 70% of Brits think stunning animals before slaughtering them is more ethical.
- 72% of the population think food produced from religious non-stun slaughter methods should be clearly labelled.
We support the right to religious freedom. But this is not an absolute right. Religious exemptions shouldn't be made to laws meant to prevent unnecessary animal cruelty.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to end the religious exemption that allows animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
Denmark bans religious slaughter
Posted: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 16:52
Denmark's Agriculture and Food Minister Dan Jørgensen has signed into law a regulation that bans religious slaughter of animals.
European Union regulations require stunning before slaughter, but permit member states to allow exemptions for religious slaughter. Under the new law, Danish slaughterhouses will no longer be able to apply for an exemption to pre-stunning.
The move has been opposed by Jewish and Muslim religious leaders in Denmark, who have argued that the ban constitutes an infringement of religious freedom.
However, defending the government's decision, Mr Jørgensen told Denmark's TV2 television that "animal rights come before religion".
Denmark is a major exporter of Halal meat to the Arab world and Halal food is widely available throughout the country. Revelations last year that Danes were being served unlabelled meat from Islamic slaughter at public institutions triggered a nationwide debate on the practice of religious slaughter – and how far Denmark should go to accommodate the estimated 250,000 Muslims living in the country.
According to the World Jewish Congress, the ban will have little practical consequences for Jewish life in Denmark since for the past ten years all kosher meat sold in Denmark has been imported from abroad.
Denmark joins a growing list of countries, including Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland, where religious slaughter is prohibited.
Earlier this year the National Secular Society backed renewed calls from the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations for an end to the religious exemption that allows farm animals to be slaughtered without prior stunning.
In 2013, the coalition government said it would not remove the exemption despite "strong pressure" from welfare groups, veterinary interests and the public for a prohibition on all slaughter without stunning.
NSS backs call for religious slaughter ban ahead of House of Lords debate
Posted: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 07:53
The National Secular Society has backed renewed calls from the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations for an end to the religious exemption that allows farm animals to be slaughtered without prior stunning.
The call comes ahead of a House of Lords debate on the ethical, legal and religious factors that influence the way in which some animals are slaughtered in the UK.
Animal welfare legislation requires all animals to be stunned before slaughter in order to minimise suffering. The only exemption is for religious communities to meet Jewish and Muslim religious requirements.
A joint statement issued by the RSPCA, British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) ahead of today's debate has called for all animals to be effectively stunned before they are slaughtered.
Animal welfare organisations are also calling for food derived from animals slaughtered under the legal exemption to be restricted to the specific religious communities according to whose beliefs the animals have been slaughtered.
The RSPCA said that while it recognises that religious beliefs and practices should be respected, it also believes that animals should only be slaughtered under the most humane conditions.
The call echoes the position of the National Secular Society, which has long campaigned for an end to the exemption that allows religious groups to slaughter animals without pre-stunning.
Stephen Evans, National Secular Society campaigns manager, said: "While we support the right to freedom of religious and other belief, the right to manifest belief is not absolute, and we strongly oppose religious exemptions to animal welfare regulations which apply for good reason and without exception to everyone else.
"It is well known that meat from religious slaughter is routinely entering the general food chain. This means that unwitting members of the public are unknowingly subsidising the religious slaughter industry. If the Government wishes to retain religious exemptions, it should at least support mandatory method of slaughter labelling to ensure that consumers can make an informed choice about the food they purchase."
In October 2012 the NSS called on the Government to ensure that all animals are stunned prior to slaughter in its response to a DEFRA consultation on the welfare of animals at the time of killing.
Method of slaughter labelling is currently being considered by the EU Commission and the NSS will be calling for new European rules on this in 2014.
