To stun or not to stun?

Trouble at Mill in Lancashire! The Muslim community of Lancashire are telling their children not eat Halal meat in schools because the animals are being stunned first. According to Ayatolla Kebab the animal should have it's throat cut without being stunned first.

The leader of Lancashire Council, Albert Tatlock is refusing to budge, stating that it is more humane to stun the animal first before cutting its throat.

I have to side with Councillor Tatlock on this one. Simply slitting an animals throat while it is still alive seems a rather barbaric and inhumane way to put meat on the table.

It might be a good idea for the RSPCA to weigh in with their thoughts on this ethical matter.

Sorry but what a load of complete nonsense.

Try it on a muslim and see which they would prefer.

It's been on Granada reports tonight with both parties having their say and refusing to budge. The Ayatolla is accusing Tatters of being anti-Muslim.

I know most of us like to eat meat and although I don't think about the pig when I eat a pork sausage, I would much prefer the animal to be killed as humanely as possible.

Does it kill an apple humanely when you peel it or is it better just to bite straight in to it?

Pandering to extremists is never a good idea. There is nothing in the Koran that prevents a stunned animal being halal meat. There is also nothing in the Koran that requires women to wear a veil let alone the ridiculous garb some muslim women wear. It's just the interpretation of the Koran by bigoted nutters and extremists.

It's 700 years behind the times, give them time to catch up!
They might start using toilets proper soon!!

If they don't want their kids to eat it, then fine, don't eat it. If I was Albert Tatlock I wouldn't budge also.

Albert is not for turning!

BoltonTillIDie wrote:If they don't want their kids to eat it, then fine, don't eat it. If I was Albert Tatlock I wouldn't budge also.

Agreed, inhumanly killing animals to meet religions needs is just... well, just inhumane.


Im not a fan of hanging screaming cows upside down, cutting their throats and letting them bleed to death.. Just not my thing.

If certain people of any religion believe that they need to cause the most possible suffering to an animal in order to comply with their (most likely skewed) religious views we do not have to comply. There are more atheists in Britain than any religion. Cruelty to animals cannot be justified because 'god' wants it.

Lofty_Love wrote:

Agreed, inhumanly killing animals to meet religions needs is just... well, just inhumane.




Im not a fan of hanging screaming cows upside down, cutting their throats and letting them bleed to death.. Just not my thing.

It's bloody brutal if truth be told. We pander to this barbaric kind of shit so as not to offend their religion. It's time the RSPCA took a stand.

Yes what are the RSPCA doing? I've never heard of them protesting about this cruelty to animals.

It annoyed me at our work canteen, we had a few of the call centre staff who were asian and asked for Halal chicken as it complied with their religious beliefs. Next minute all the chicken is Halal just to comply with probably 10% of the work force!!

One of the funniest cases that was reported in the news was that of a Muslim cook who got a job working in a police canteen in London. He refused to handle or cook any bacon or pork sausages because his religion declared that the meat was unclean. He got given the boot and tried to sue the Met. He lost his case because the judge declared that he must have known he would be expected to cook full English breakfasts as part of his job and there was no reason why he couldn't use plastic gloves to handle the meat.

It's a funny old game!!!

BoltonTillIDie wrote:It annoyed me at our work canteen, we had a few of the call centre staff who were asian and asked for Halal chicken as it complied with their religious beliefs. Next minute all the chicken is Halal just to comply with probably 10% of the work force!!

I do find this slightly troubling. Most of the meat served by fast food places and a lot of supermarket meat is halal now for this reason.

If the animals are stunned before their throats are slit I assume they feel no pain and I have no moral problem with this, but why do we have to pander to minority religious practices? You don't find much tolerance for non-muslim religious beliefs in muslim countries.

Indeed! Try ordering black pudding from a swanky restaurant in Dubai and the waiter will look at you as if you have just dropped your guts.

No problem with religion but it shouldn't be changing public policy in any sense.

from food service and street cleaning to the highest office in the land the PM.

serving "halal" meat because 4 out of 4000 people "believe" that it's right to torture animals is absolutely ridiculous.

xmiles wrote:
I do find this slightly troubling. Most of the meat served by fast food places and a lot of supermarket meat is halal now for this reason.

If the animals are stunned before their throats are slit I assume they feel no pain and I have no moral problem with this, but why do we have to pander to minority religious practices? You don't find much tolerance for non-muslim religious beliefs in muslim countries.

The trouble is that Halal meat can't be prepared with normal meat in case there in contamination.

So shops risk losing the majority of their Asian customers if they don't use Halal, and for towns like Bolton that would be a big loss, so they can't really be blamed.



I don't really mind eating Halal meat, its not as if you would be able to tell the difference from a takeaway - which are usually the only places where it is the only option. But this inhumane treatment would be unacceptable.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:No problem with religion but it shouldn't be changing public policy in any sense.

Tbh I think I would have a problem with it even if it was only exclusively sold in shop for 'non stunned Halal meat', and not forced upon the public. - well it probably is actually.

Religion shouldn't be an excuse for animal cruelty, at all. Just as someone wouldn't/shouldn't be able to avoid punishment for a crime because it was ok in their religion.