Islamic scholars lack knowledge of basic science showing that stunning animals prevents them from feeling pain when their throats are cut, a study has found.
The ignorance among scholars, who help to set rules governing what meat is deemed “halal” or permissible, is reflected among ordinary Muslims, the study by the University of Bristol found.
The British Muslim community is divided over pre-slaughter stunning, with some halal licensing bodies accepting it and others rejecting it.
However, the belief that stunning is forbidden under Islam appears to be gaining ground, with the number of animals killed while conscious and able to feel pain soaring in recent years.
More than 2.4 million sheep and goats had their throats cut without stunning in the latest recorded year (2013), 60 per cent up on 2011, according to Food Standards Agency surveys.
A European Union directive requires animals to be stunned but Britain applies an exemption permitted for meat for Muslims and Jews.
Researchers questioned Islamic scholars at 29 mosques, 15 Islamic centres and six Islamic schools. Sixty-nine per cent of scholars answered “no” when asked whether they agreed that stunning prior to slaughter had been shown to reduce the pain felt by animals, according to the study by the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Science.
More than 300 halal consumers asked the same question were more likely than scholars to accept that research had shown stunning did reduce pain, with 58 per cent saying no. The humaneness of pre-stunning has been demonstrated by numerous experiments over the past 35 years involving measuring of animals’ brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG).
The study, published in the journal Meat Science, said: “The lack of understanding of stunning among some scholars has resulted in the issuance of confusing fatwas [religious rulings] on the suitability of stunned meat for consumption by Muslims.
“There is an urgent need for these scholars to be given theoretical and practical education on stunning and other modern slaughter techniques such as mechanical slaughter. This will help them make informed decisions about the suitability of these techniques for Halal production.”
Gudrun Ravetz, president of the British Veterinary Association, said: “This study highlights worrying misconceptions about what constitutes humane slaughter and underlines the need for dialogue and education so that there is a consistent understanding of the welfare benefits of pre-stunning.”
Ms Ravetz said there was a “barrage of evidence about the humaneness of stunning before slaughter”, adding: “Our view is that all animals should be stunned before slaughter, based on peer-reviewed evidence that indicates an unacceptable time lapse between slaughter and the onset of permanent insensibility when animals are not stunned.
“A number of notable bodies including the Farm Animal Welfare Committee and the EU Food Safety Authority all agree that there is a high probability that the cutting of sensitive tissues at the neck will trigger a significant pain response in a conscious animal.”
The study found that 95 per cent of scholars agreed that stunning would be permissible in halal slaughter if it could be shown that the stun did not kill the animal. This would satisfy the Islamic rule that the animal must be alive at the point of slaughter.
Some scholars said that they would be unwilling to say publicly that stunning could be permissible. The scholars, who were guaranteed anonymity, also had low levels of awareness of research showing that some methods of stunning did not kill the animal. Only 42 per cent said they were aware of such methods, with 58 per cent unaware.
Some of the scholars admitted that they had never witnessed the stunning of animals in practice. The Halal Food Authority, which had led the way in authorising stunning, launched a non-stun certification scheme this summer.
Q&A
What does the law state?
Animals must be stunned before killing under EU regulations, but member states can exempt Muslims and Jews who oppose stunning because of religious beliefs. The UK implements this derogation.
What proportion of kosher and halal meat comes from stunned animals?
No animals slaughtered for kosher meat are stunned. Up to 80 per cent of halal meat is from stunned animals. For chickens there are questions over the effectiveness of the stun at some halal abattoirs.
What is the government’s position on religious slaughter?
George Eustice, the farming minister, told the Commons in 2014: “We recognise and respect the needs of religious communities, so we have always maintained the limited exemption, which is to be used only for meat produced for Jewish and Muslim communities.”
What proportion of animals are not stunned prior to slaughter in Britain?
15% of sheep and goats; 3% of poultry and 2% of cattle (in 2013, the last year for which Food Standards Agency figures are available)
Which countries have banned non-stun slaughter, including for halal and kosher?
Denmark, Iceland and Sweden