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
No change to religious slaughter rules
Posted: Fri, 31 May 2013 09:56
The government has said it will not remove the exemption from animal welfare law that permits religious communities to slaughter animals without pre-stunning – despite "strong pressure" from welfare groups, veterinary interests and the public for a prohibition on all slaughter without stunning.
In its published response to a consultation on the protection of animals at the time of killing, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said: "Existing national rules will be retained in relation to religious slaughter. These rules limit slaughter without prior stunning to the slaughter of bovine animals, sheep, goats and birds by a Jew for the food of Jews or by a Muslim for the food of Muslims."
Welfare organisations responding to the consultation called for the current arrangements to be tightened if slaughter without stunning is allowed to continue. Religious community representatives expressed concern that this would undermine their religious freedoms.
Despite being outside the scope of legislation being consulted on, DEFRA say there was "strong pressure" for compulsory method of slaughter labelling. This was supported by the National Secular Society in its response as well as in responses from welfare groups, the public and some in the Muslim community. Mandatory labelling is being vigorously opposed by the religious slaughter industry.
Stephen Evans, campaigns manager at the National Secular Society, commented: "While we're disappointed that the Government has opted to retain the exemption for religious groups, we're pleased it has reiterated that the exemption applies to people of that religion only. This makes it clear that permitting meat from religious slaughter methods to enter the general food chain is not only ethically unacceptable, it is also unlawful.
"At present this targeting of supply is not being enforced and meat from religious slaughter is being routinely sold to unwitting consumers on the open market, artificially subsidising the religious slaughter industry.
"The most effective way of enforcing this provision would be through method of slaughter labelling – and we will certainly be keeping up the pressure on the Government to ensure this happens."
You can read the National Secular Society's response to the consultation here
Economic crisis forcing Poland to reconsider its ban on ritual slaughter
Posted: Tue, 21 May 2013 14:17
The Polish parliament, which banned ritual slaughter of animals for the halal and kosher markets in January, is now considering revoking the law because of economic pressures.
The export market for ritually slaughtered meat - in which the animal has its throat slit and bleeds to death while conscious - was very lucrative for Poland. It grew between 20 and 30% per year in recent years, with interest from Muslim countries such as Egypt and Indonesia looking for good quality meat.
The kosher and halal business had boomed until January, when the ban took effect following a ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal. Although the actual slaughter was carried out by specially trained Muslim and Jewish officials, the industry also created about 6,000 other jobs.
Animal rights activists argue that killing animals without stunning them first causes unnecessary suffering. Jewish and Muslim leaders strongly disagree, and insist that their method is actually more humane, in part because it causes the animals to lose consciousness very fast. They argue that standard industrial slaughter involves pre-stunning that is sometimes not effective, leading to even greater suffering.
The Prime Minister Donald Tusk is anxious to get the business going again and his government has recently drafted a law that would reinstate religious slaughter while also adding some new protections for animals.
The law's fate now rests with parliament, which is due to debate and vote on it in the coming weeks. The government enjoys majority support in the assembly, so the law is likely to be passed, but not without acrimony.
Witold Choinski, the head of Polish Meat, said the industry is worth about 500 million euros per year to the Polish. About 100,000 tons of kosher or halal beef and 100,000 tons of poultry were exported annually before the ban — making up between 20 and 30% of Poland's beef exports and about 10% of poultry exports.
For now, business is being picked up by producers in nearby countries, including Latvia, Hungary, Bosnia and the Czech Republic, Mufti Tomasz Miskiewicz said.
The debate so far has revolved around animal cruelty and has not featured any anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim sentiment.
