Millions of animals are suffering unnecessarily by being slaughtered without stunning to meet religious demands.
That's why we campaign to end religious exemptions to animal welfare laws.
Animal welfare law requires animals to be stunned before slaughter to minimise their pain, suffering and distress. The only exemption is for Jewish and Muslim communities to meet kosher and halal religious dietary preferences.
The scientific consensus is clear that it is more humane to stun an animal prior to slaughter. The slaughter of animals without pre-stunning is permitted in the UK despite a recommendation by the government's own advisory body, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), that the practice should be banned. FAWC concluded that animals slaughtered without pre-stunning are likely to experience "very significant pain and distress".
RSPCA, Compassion in World Farming and the British Veterinary Association all support an end to non-stun slaughter to improve animal welfare at the time of death.
- 70% of Brits think stunning animals before slaughtering them is more ethical.
- 72% of the population think food produced from religious non-stun slaughter methods should be clearly labelled.
We support the right to religious freedom. But this is not an absolute right. Religious exemptions shouldn't be made to laws meant to prevent unnecessary animal cruelty.
Take action!
1. Write to your MP
Ask your MP to end the religious exemption that allows animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning.
2. Share your story
Tell us why you support this campaign, and how you are personally affected by the issue. You can also let us know if you would like assistance with a particular issue.
3. Join the National Secular Society
Become a member of the National Secular Society today! Together, we can separate religion and state for greater freedom and fairness.
Latest updates
MPs call for labelling of meat from non-stun slaughter
Posted: Wed, 3 Apr 2019 17:35
A group of cross-party MPs is calling for meat produced from religious non-stun slaughter methods to be clearly labelled to allow consumers to make an informed choice.
At least 21 MPs have put their names to a proposed amendment to the Agriculture Bill – to introduce labelling to indicate the slaughtering method.
The amendment (new clause 31) was tabled by Conservative MP Giles Watling.
It would require all meat products to be labelled as to the method of slaughter. The labelling would include a statement on whether the animal was stunned during the process.
Animal welfare legislation requires all animals to be stunned before slaughter in order to minimise suffering. The only exemption is for religious communities to meet Jewish and Muslim religious dietary preferences.
At present, there is no requirement for meat from non-stun slaughter to be labelled. Meat from animals killed under the religious exemption is supposed to be produced for "the food of Muslims" or "the food of Jews".
In practice there is minimal targeting of supply and meat from non-stun slaughter is routinely sold or served to consumers who do not want their meat to be prepared in this way.
The National Secular Society has been lobbying parliamentarians for the repeal of the religious exemption to the animal welfare law, and for a labelling requirement while the exemption is in place. The NSS is supporting the proposed amendment to the Agriculture Bill.
Stephen Evans, the NSS's chief executive, said: "Welfare standards introduced to minimise animal suffering should apply equally to all and without exemption. Religious exemptions that allow animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning should therefore be repealed.
"In the meantime, it is important that mandatory method of slaughter labelling is introduced so that consumers are not unwittingly consuming non-stun meat and always have the option of buying meat from animals slaughtered in a humane way."
Food minister David Rutley MP told the NSS: "The government is aware that there is public concern about meat from animals slaughtered in accordance with religious beliefs being sold to consumers."
He said the government "respects the rights of Jewish and Muslim communities to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs". But he added that "consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food".
Parliamentary support for mandatory labelling is strong. Over 90 MPs have put their name to a motion calling for the introduction of specific labelling to identify meat that has been pre-stunned before slaughter.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) 2018 slaughterhouse survey recently revealed that in 2018 over 94 million cattle, sheep and poultry were slaughtered without being stunned first in England and Wales.
The move to introduce labelling comes as MPs debated non-stun slaughter during a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday. During the debate Conservative MP Laurence Robertson said he was "not concerned about expressions of religious belief" but thought "beliefs sometimes have to be tempered by the fact that we should not cause another living thing harm when that can be mitigated."
He said that having considered the evidence, he thought there was a "strong case to be made for the banning of non-stun slaughter".
The Agriculture Bill completed its committee stage in November 2018, but no date has yet been set for the Bill to have its report stage and third reading.
Animal welfare group to address NSS conference on religious freedom
Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2019 12:26
The National Secular Society is delighted that Joyce D'Silva, the ambassador emeritus of the group Compassion in World Farming (CiWF), will address non-stun slaughter at the NSS's Secularism 2019 conference.
Joyce was chief executive of CiWF from 1991 to 2005, when she played a key role in advancing major animal welfare reforms at UK and EU level. She now works for the group on a consultancy basis.
She speaks and publishes widely on the welfare of farm animals, including by co-editing books. She acts in a supporting or advisory role to several other animal welfare groups and is a patron of the Animal Interfaith Alliance.
In 2004 she received the RSPCA's Lord Erskine Award, in recognition of a "very important contribution in the field of animal welfare".
Secularism 2019, which will have the tagline 'reclaiming religious freedom', takes place at The Tower Hotel in central London on Saturday 18 May.
Current religious exemptions to the UK's animal welfare laws allow animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning if they are intended for consumption by Jews or Muslims.
Official figures indicate that there has been a significant rise in non-stun slaughter in recent years. The government has also recently signed a deal which will allow non-stun meat to be sold to Saudi Arabia.
Recent NSS research has shown that non-stun meat is widespread in UK supermarkets and at least 17 councils are supplying non-stun meat to schools.
The NSS campaigns to end the religious exemption to animal welfare laws, and to introduce labelling requirements while the exemption exists.
The society's chief executive Stephen Evans said "animal welfare organisations provide an important voice in the debate around where the limits of religious freedom should lie".
"Joyce D'Silva's decades of experience in this area will make her a highly worthwhile and authoritative voice on the issue of non-stun slaughter. Too often this debate is skewed by deference to religious lobbyists, who seek to silence debate by unfairly branding opposition as an attack on religious freedom.
"Compassion in World Farming recognises that religion need not be a reason to allow farm animals to suffer. The normalisation of non-stun slaughter is a significant threat to animal welfare and social cohesion in the UK.
"We are confident that Joyce's speech will make a strong case for legislative and social change so that religious interests don't trump the welfare of animals."
Other speakers at Secularism 2019 will include journalist and author Nick Cohen, counter-extremism commissioner Sara Khan and Dr Ahmed Shaheed, the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. Tickets are currently on sale.
