Calls for non-stun slaughter to be banned in the UK

The UK government is being called on to repeal a legal exemption that permits animals to be slaughtered without pre-stunning, causing “unnecessary pain and suffering”.

Made in a joint appeal by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the two organisations have cited figures from 2017/18 which show that over 120 million animals were slaughtered without being stunned first.

This amounts to more than three animals slaughtered every second on average, they claim.

Open letter

In an open letter to Environment Secretary Michael Gove, the BVA and the RSPCA have urged the UK government to change legislation in England which currently allows non-stun slaughter for religious purposes.

They also call for the provision of further public transparency on this issue by releasing the comprehensive 2018 slaughter survey results, which were originally due for release in autumn 2018.

Until such legislation is in place the RSPCA and BVA are calling for the following:

Meat to be labelled with the method of slaughter – stunned or non-stunned – so consumers are fully informed about the meat that they are buying;
Non-stun slaughter to only be permitted at levels that meet local religious community demand for this type of meat in the interests of limiting animal pain and suffering;
A ban on export of meat from non-stunned animals or live animals destined for non-stun slaughter;
An immediate post-cut stun for cattle, sheep, goats and deer to reduce the period of pain and distress.

According to the organisations, the letter follows a recent, high-profile decision to ban the slaughter of animals without prior stunning in the Flanders region of Belgium which came into force at the start of the year.

Belgium joins several other European countries, including Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark in making this decision, demonstrating that a full ban on non-stun slaughter is possible within EU law.

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “We’re opposed to non-stun slaughter and we’re calling for an end to the practice as it seriously compromises animal welfare.

“Our concern does not relate to the expression of religious belief but the welfare of animals.

Measures called for

“Until there is a change in the law to end non-stun slaughter, there are several measures the UK government could introduce to reduce the suffering involved in this practice.”

Sherwood gave examples of how this could be done, including clear labelling and the exclusion of non-stun meat or live animals for non-stun slaughter from any trade deals with other countries.

BVA president Simon Doherty added: “The UK government has repeatedly stated it would prefer to see all animals stunned before slaughter but has taken no action to address this critical welfare issue that affects millions of animals every year.

“If slaughter without stunning continues to be permitted in the UK, then meat and fish from this source must be clearly labelled, to help customers make informed choices about the food that they buy and eat.”

The BVA and RSPCA have called on the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to be transparent on the issue of non-stun slaughter and release the latest comprehensive Food Standards Agency (FSA) survey results.