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."
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.
 |
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.
Related Articles:
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.
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