How Is Halal Meat Killed In The UK?
Edited By Staff Writer, Halal Incorp
Halal meat processing in the United Kingdom is an area of important discourse, especially when it is related to stunning methods & animal rights & welfare.
Islamic dietary rules note that meat must be permissible (Halal), aligning to specific slaughter methods.
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Under UK law, animals are typically required to be stunned before the slaughter process begins in order to minimise pain as well as distress.
However, an exemption is currently in play for religious slaughter methods, allowing animals to be slaughtered without stunning in accordance with Jewish (Kosher) & Muslim (Halal) rites.
How Is Halal Meat Killed In The UK?
This has led to a dual approach in Halal meat processing in the UK.
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Many Muslims in the UK do accept pre-stunning, if the stun is reversible & doesn’t kill the animal, making sure it remains alive at the stage of slaughter.
The Halal Food Authority (HFA), a well known certification body, allows for controlled electric stunning for poultry and ovine (sheep/lamb) meat, stating that the amperage used should be minuscule & verified by a veterinary surgeon to stop pre-slaughter death.
Other entities, such as the Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC), mainly certify non-stunned meat, aligning to a stricter point of view where any stunning is seen as potentially compromising the animal’s life before the cut.
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The manner of slaughter includes a trained Muslim slaughter person making a quick, deep incision across the animal’s throat with a sharp knife, severing the carotid arteries, jugular veins, trachea, and oesophagus, without severing the spinal cord.
This aims to make sure rapid exsanguination (bleeding out) occurs & minimises suffering.
A dua (prayer), “Bismillahi-Allahu Akbar” (In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest), is read at the time of slaughter taking place.
British farmers play a critical role in satiating the UK’s demand for Halal meat, especially lamb. Muslims make up a large consumer base for lamb in the UK, consuming it far more regularly than the wider British population.
While Muslims constitute 6.5% of the UK population, they account for an approximate 30% of lamb sales by volume. This major demand for lamb provides a crucial market for British sheep farmers. Essentially the Muslim community contribute colossally in relation to helping British farmers sell their lamb as major consumers and help keep the trade running.
The debate surrounding stunned versus non-stunned Halal meat continues, balancing religious freedom with animal welfare concerns is important.
Transparency in labelling is more widely being called for to allow customers to make informed choices about the meat that they buy.
References:
- RSPCA Assured. (n.d.). Animal Welfare and Non-Stun Slaughter in the UK. Retrieved from https://www.rspcaassured.org.uk/farmed-animal-welfare/other-animal-welfare-concerns/non-stun-slaughter-in-the-uk/
- Halal Food Authority. (n.d.). FAQs. Retrieved from https://halalfoodauthority.com/faqs/
- AHDB. (2024). Halal meat accounts for 30% of UK lamb sales. Retrieved from https://ahdb.org.uk/news/halal-meat-accounts-for-30-of-uk-lamb-sales
- Farmers Weekly. (2025, June 10). Non-stun animal slaughter ban petition prompts MP clash. Retrieved from https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/farm-policy/non-stun-animal-slaughter-ban-petition-prompts-mp-clash
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