Government cannot ignore animal rights
THE Government has disappointed people who care about animal welfare yet again — this time by refusing to ban slaughter without stunning.
Animals killed for Muslim halal and Jewish kosher meat are exempt from the rule that ensures all animals are stunned before being slaughtered.
This is because some, though not all, Jewish and Muslim people believe that their religions forbid stunning.
While I believe that respect for other people's cultures and religions is very important, the suffering faced by these animals is unimaginable and the law should be changed to make this practice illegal.
The Government accepts that animals killed without stunning experience "very significant pain and distress" and that it can take a calf up to two minutes to lose consciousness after its throat is cut. Incredibly, though, it still refuses to take action.
Animals slaughtered for halal meat in the UK are not pre-stunned while millions more suffer in this way. We must not shy away from this problem, however difficult and sensitive it may be.
Slaughter without pre-stunning has been banned in Norway, Sweden and New Zealand. It is time for Britain to take meaningful action. The Government cannot continue to sweep this animal welfare problem under the carpet.
W Blackledge
Lark Rise, Newton Poppleford
(by email)
Comments
by Tom Gray, England
Sunday, May 03 2009, 11:02AM
“The government's willingness to be stepped on by anyone with beliefs has long been an issue of concern. But when life is taken in such a brutal manner because of it, it becomes an issue that cannot continue to be swept under the rug. The government has a responsibility to ensure that nobody experiences unnecessary suffering, and the shape of that body should not be the cause of exemption.
It's all very well being sensitive to peoples' deluded beliefs, and allowing mosques and the like in places such as Oxford, is a testament to our tolerance. But what about the beliefs of those who rightly oppose agonizing murder when painless alternatives exist?
This government needs to wake up and get into this century. We have laws against animal abuse. Your personal belief in fairy tales should not grant you exemption from them.
I am disgusted by this abuse and will bring it to the attention of every organization that stands a chance of ending it.”