𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Government has responded to a petition calling for a ban on non-stun animal slaughter. The online document set up by Chris Fulgoni has garnered more than 25,000 signatures, and at the time of writing has 26,262 supporters. It reads: “Ban non-stun slaughter. We think it is cruel and causes unnecessary harm to the animals being slaughtered/butchered.” The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a response on February 10: “The Government prefers all animals to be stunned before slaughter.

“The law established in 1933 respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter and would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter. However, we respect the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. The Government, therefore, has no plans to ban slaughter without stunning.”

It added: “The first national legislative requirement for stunning before slaughter in England and Wales was the Slaughter of Animals Act 1933. The Act also introduced an exception from the requirement to stun when animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites, for the food of Muslims and Jews.

“Over the years, the rules governing religious slaughter have developed to provide additional protection to animals slaughtered without stunning. These rules ensure that animals are spared avoidable pain, suffering or distress during the slaughter process.”

It comes after Mark Weekes, 60, a sheep farmer north of Exeter in Devon, told The Express in June: “When we’ve cared for these animals for their entire lives and put blood sweat and tears into looking after them, many, many farmers don’t really want to think about that.

“We have to think about it, because it’s part of our business, and I do believe that, if any farmer has any chance to walk a abattoir production line, they should.

“Because it shows respect to those animals. But ultimately, I drop my lambs to slaughter, and it’s quite an emotional thing to do.

“So, moving on from there, it’s nice to think that they have the best death they can have.

“Which is probably what we’d all hope for, isn’t it? To have the best death we can have.”

Non-stunned halal is on the up, he added.

Mr Weekes said: “I completely understand and appreciate that halal slaughtered lamb is a massive, massive trade for UK sheep, and I completely understand and respect people’s want to have properly slaughtered halal meat.”

Brits need to have a “really sensible, grown-up conversation about it”, the farmer added, “and really drill into the pros and cons of both systems”.

“I’m fairly certain that most of the general public wouldn’t be comfortable with non-stunned slaughter,” Mr Weekes said.