Halal row prompts calls for clearer meat labelling

Yahoo – AFP, 8 May 2014

Religious leaders in Britain are calling for the comprehensive labelling of meat

at point of sale, including details of how it was slaughtered (AFP Photo/Pascal Pavani)

London (AFP) - Religious leaders in Britain on Thursday called for all meat to be labelled with details of how it was slaughtered after it emerged halal and kosher meat in supermarkets is often not marked as such.

Representatives of Jewish and Muslim groups said in a letter to the Daily Telegraph that consumers should be informed at the point of sale of precisely how animals have been killed.

The call for comprehensive labelling comes after it emerged that people eating at Pizza Express and other restaurants were eating halal-slaughtered chicken without their knowledge.

"Comprehensive labelling should be supported by faith communities and animal welfare groups alike," said the letter signed by Henry Grunwald, chairman of Shechita UK, the body which represents the Jewish method of religious slaughter, and Dr Shuja Shafi, Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

"It would offer all consumers genuine choice, whether they are motivated by animal welfare, religious observance, or even intolerance of anyone who looks or worships differently to them."

Food labels should specify whether or not an animal has been stunned prior to slaughter "and whether it has endured repeat stuns if the first attempt was ineffective," they added.

"They should also be told the method of slaughter: captive bolt shooting, gassing, electrocution, drowning, trapping, clubbing or any of the other approved methods," the letter said.

More than 70 percent of New Zealand lamb sold in Britain now comes from halal slaughterhouses, although there is currently no requirement for information to be stated on the packaging.

Halal methods are used in order to ensure the meat can be sold to both Muslim and non-Muslim nations, with Middle East countries a major market for New Zealand lamb exports.

"We all follow the rules set down by the European Union (in the British market)," Craig Finch, UK and Europe Regional Manager for Beef and Lamb New Zealand told AFP.

"Currently there is no labelling requirement in terms of halal.

"It's based on commercial and logistical factors -- we take a consistent approach that meets regulations across the board in our different markets around the world."

A sheep is pictured in a field at Sandfly Bay near Dunedin in New Zealand

on September 23, 2011 (AFP Photo/Paul Ellis)

Asked whether clearer labelling should be considered in Britain, Finch said that it was a matter for regulators in different markets and that limits should be placed on labelling because of space constraints.

"It really becomes a regulatory issue. But that information about slaughter methods is already clear on our website," he said.

Finch added that all of the lamb exported to Britain was from sheep that had been 'pre-stunned' and was unconscious before slaughter in accordance with New Zealand law.

Former health secretary Andrew Lansley meanwhile backed calls for shoppers to be given information to help them when making purchases.

Lansley told the House of Commons that the Consumer Rights Bill, which returns to parliament next week, could provide an opportunity to address the issue.

A bill put before the house in 2012 by Conservative MP Philip Davies to introduce a bill for compulsory labelling of halal and kosher meat was rejected by three votes following opposition from Labour.

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Kryon Q&A

Question (2004): Dear Kryon, the Canadian farmers have been hit hard with two cases of BSE, or Mad Cow Disease, reported as coming from Alberta. This is a fatal disease that’s scaring many people away from beef. Is Spirit trying to tell us to be vegetarians? Why is this disease coming out now? Will beef ever be as safe to eat as it was before?

Answer: As we’ve discussed before, there isn’t enough fertile land on the planet to feed humanity if you’re all vegetarian. In addition, we’ve told you that a balance is needed for most Human biological systems that includes meat. Therefore, one of the reasons for the existence of animals is for your sustenance, and they come here for that. Animals are in service to humanity, and they do it in several ways. (This has been channelled many times . . . the reasons for animals on the planet.)

We’ve also told you that in order for them to be healthy sustenance, they must be treated with a higher consciousness than they are now or they’ll die. This is what you’re seeing. This disease is one that’s here to draw attention to this issue, not to force you to eat vegetables. It’s to bring the plight of the animals into mainstream consciousness, and to eventually demand changes in the way they’re treated.

Many of you don’t wish to think about these precious creatures being sacrificed for your sustenance, but remember, this is all part of the support for your life on the planet. What you owe them is honor and dignity within the scope of creating food for your lives. When you see these kinds of diseases, they exist to make you stop and look at what you’re doing. If you don’t, these animals will self-destruct on their own.