A Note On Religious SlaughterIn my third year of vet school, I had to write an essay on an animal we

A Note On Religious SlaughterIn my third year of vet school, I had to write an essay on an animal welfare issue. I chose to research ‘halal slaughter’ because I wanted to increase my knowledge in order to form an educated opinion. The essay ended up winning me an award and sponsorship from Meat and Livestock Australia. It also provoked an ongoing interest in animal welfare associated with slaughter and euthanasia.Halal slaughter conditions vary considerably according to differing interpretations of the Quran. It is generally accepted that animals must die from exsanguination (draining of blood) in order to be classified as ‘halal’. Therefore, animals are either slaughtered without any prior stunning (i.e. conscious) or after being reversibly stunned.Conscious animals are capable of feeling pain, fear and stress. For this reason, livestock should be rendered unconscious before they are killed by ventral neck incision. In Australia, most abattoirs stun animals prior to slaughter. This can be done via a number of methods, including gas, electric stunners and non-penetrative captive bolt (NPCB). The issue with these reversible stunning methods is that animals can regain consciousness prior to death. They therefore rely on worker efficiency to ensure throats are cut and animals are effectively bled out before the effects of stunning wear off. In addition, there are few reliable methods of determining whether animals are, in fact, dead before they can regain consciousness. Any movement is often just attributed to post-mortem muscle twitching - but who’s to say it’s not conscious movement?A small percentage of Australian abattoirs have been exempted from stunning standards and permitted to slaughter conscious animals for religious purposes. This is just disturbing.The alternative (non-halal) slaughter method involves prior stunning by penetrative captive bolt (PCB) which results in irreversible unconsciousness. This method eliminates the risk of an animal regaining consciousness after having its neck cut, and therefore eliminates any pain, fear and stress post-stunning.I fully appreciate that some swift knife action and rapid bleeding may once have been the most effective and humane method of slaughter. However, new large scale production industries and an increasing demand for meat from a rapidly growing population necessitate change. In modern times we have new knowledge and new technology that allows us to more humanely kill our livestock. Is it not our moral responsibility to utilise the best and kindest methods at our disposal?I respect the religions of others, but I simply cannot justify animal suffering for a human belief. The more I research halal slaughter, the more uncomfortable I become with it. Don’t take my word for it though - do your own research and reach your own conclusions! The facts are out there if you do a bit of digging! -- source link

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