It is worth repeating that in Britain we have scientifically proven standards we regard as appropriate for animal welfare whilst the majority of people regard religious faith as unproven. So protection of animals from suffering should not be secondary to religious beliefs.
The number of animals being slaughtered without first being stunned is between 25% – 40% of all meat produced in the UK, around 10 – possibly 2O – times the total possible market for such meat. The Government should ensure animals are dealt with humanely, rather than producers using a cultural/religious pretext to increase their own profits.
A petition has been launched to try to address this, with a target of 25,000 signatures: http://tinyurl.com/ntm2lx3
Petition wording:
“The fact that Halal butchers are immune from the law against slaughtering animals without pre stunning them, is blatantly wrong. It is unacceptable, that in a civilised society, innocent animals can be tortured to death in this way. Therefore, we the undersigned demand that the vulgar and cruel practise of Halal Slaughter be banned in the United Kingdom.”