Lib Dem Peer Demands Halal Meat Be Labelled

A photo taken on August 2, 2016 shows the entrance of a halal butchery in Lille, northern
PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images
Liam Deacon

Meat killed according to Islamic sharia law, in a method considered cruel by all major animal rights groups, “should be labelled in shops”, a Liberal Democrat peer has said.

Baroness Parminter also told the party’s conference that meat killed without stunning the animal first should not be exported, echoing recent calls from the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the RSPCA.

However, the government recently agreed on a deal with Saudi Arabia, meaning exports will increase. Statistics show 22 percent of sheep and goats are not stunned before slaughter in the UK – an increase from 15 percent in 2013.

The baroness’s comments come as the party passed a motion calling on the Government to implement a range of new measures to improve the treatment of animals.

Baroness Parminter said: “I accept the scientific evidence that the practice of killing by the throat, passing it without pre-stunning, does compromise animal welfare.

“So if slaughter’s going to be allowed in this country without pre-stunning to supply our Muslim and Jewish communities then it should be labelled so that people can make an informed choice and it should be for our own home markets, we should not be exporting it.

“They do that in the Netherlands, we should do it here.”

Party environment spokesman Tim Farron, the one-time party leader who was forced to stand down over his Christian faith said: “The Liberal Democrats have always valued the part that animals play in our world and we will always demand the best environmental and welfare standards.”

Earlier this year, Michael Gove, the environment secretary, said animal welfare will be tightened after Brexit and farming minister George Eustice said clear labelling of halal food will be investigated when the UK leaves the EU.

Currently, the meat is frequently sold to unsuspecting British consumers, such as in Pizza Express and served in many schools.

And, as Breitbart London revealed last year, some London hospital canteens only sell halal, leaving those who object on ethical grounds only able to eat vegetarian options.

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