There is a growing demand for the supply of halal meat in the UK mirroring the scale and centralised nature of the wider food industry, significant numbers of animals are slaughtered in a way which maintains animal welfare whilst also being compliant with sharia and legal regulations.
To ensure that an animal’s welfare is taken care of, many slaughterhouses do have mandatory pre-slaughter stunning, which renders an animal to be immediately unconscious and therefore insensible to pain and distress until death ensues.1 The law of many western countries, including the UK, requires all animals to be stunned before slaughter, but non-stun slaughter is permitted for Muslims and Jews.2
In recent years many animal welfare and veterinary organisations have been campaigning for proportionate regulation of non-stun slaughter so that supply meets demand in the UK3,4, whilst maintaining animal welfare and minimise pain as much as possible during the slaughter process. This is based on scientific evidence demonstrating that effective pre-slaughter stunning allows the animal to be killed in the most humane way possible.5 Several countries in Europe, including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland, have already prohibited slaughter without stunning or introduced tighter regulations.6
Although much of the halal meat available in the UK has been pre-stunned with head only electrical method,7 the compatibility of pre-stunning with Sharia requirements for halal meat has been a point of controversy for Muslims.8 Unfortunately, some of the concerns regarding stunned meat arise from a misunderstanding of the process. One of the greatest concerns is that it causes an animal to experience pain and suffering. However, there is ample scientific evidence showing that effective head only electrical stunning results in immediate unconsciousness, meaning that an animal cannot experience any pain or distress. There is a common misconception that all electrical stunning methods cause death. This is incorrect, as it is possible to control the electrical output and its positioning, to ensure that cardiorespiratory death (stopping of the heart) does not occur prior to slaughtering.
It is important to clarify that the suitability of the commonly used methods of stunning depends on species, the availability of facilities, consumer demands and economic considerations. The methods currently used for ovine include:
1- Non-stun slaughter: This is a slaughtering method whereby the animal’s throat is cut without any stunning by a qualified Muslim slaughterman and it is allowed for Muslims and Jews consumption according to UK Law (EC regulation 1099-2009 - Derogation from stunning in case of religious slaughter).
2- Electric Stunning – Primarily used for sheep/lambs. It consists of two types:
a. Head-only electrical stunning: This is a slaughtering method whereby electrical currents are applied on the head of the animal resulting in a loss of consciousness. Directing the current to pass only through the brain and controlling the electrical frequency ensures the animal is still alive and reversibly unconscious before slaughter.
b- Head to body- This refers to ‘stun to death’ method and it is not acceptable for Halal slaughtering globally.
3- Captive Bolt Stunning – This is not an electrical method and is primarily used in cattle. Captive bolt guns fire blank cartridges which propels the bolt from the barrel to impact with the skull and render the animal immediately unconscious. These guns are different from rifles or pistols. This method is only used if a lamb/sheep is not properly stunned to re-stunned immediately and this animal will not be fit for Halal consumption according to global Halal standards by the majority of countries and Halal certification bodies.
The question that arises is: ‘Is it permissible to eat the meat of an animal that has been stunned prior to slaughter?’
Since the issue of stunning prior to slaughter is a contemporary practice, it is not directly mentioned or dealt with in the primary sources of Islam (the Quran and Sunna).
Nevertheless, the Quran prohibits the consumption of any animal that has died (mayta) prior to ritual slaughter (dhabh):
“Forbidden to you are dead meat (mayta), blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been eaten by a wild animal; unless you are able to slaughter it…”9
The head only electrical stunning method is acceptable to be deemed as Halal by the Muslim majority countries, global Halal standards and Halal certification bodies. It is designed to ensure small ruminant animals are rendered unconsciousness and insensible to pain. The UK government has introduced an assurance scheme called the ‘demonstration of life (DoL)’ this provides a mechanism to give consumers, customers, and other authorities that ovine species subject to head only electrical stunning meet the religious requirements for Halal meat.10
Since the consumption of blood is forbidden by the Sharia,11 some may raise concerns about a possible reduction in the volume of blood loss following stunning compared with non-stunned slaughtered meat. The primary sources of Islam do not mention the volume of blood that should flow as a criterion; rather, the condition is ‘flowing blood without coagulation’. This can be established by the fact that primary sources of Islam refer to a variety of different Sharia-compliant methods in which animals can be killed or slaughtered. The amount of blood-loss in each method would naturally differ. Furthermore, controlled experiments comparing neck cutting with or without stunning has found no significant difference in the bleed-out rate and total blood loss in sheep and in cattle.12 It is also known through scientific observation that it is impossible to expel all the blood from an animal, regardless of stunning or not, since some blood is retained in the small blood vessels and muscles.
Finally, the welfare of animals is of paramount importance in Islam and there are numerous reports (hadith) that command Muslims to be conscious of the safety and rights of animals, even at the time of slaughter.13 One such narration states,
“God Almighty has ordained kindness in everything. And when you slaughter, do it in the best manner by first sharpening the knife and putting the animal at ease.”14
It is also reported that the Prophet rebuked a man who was sharpening his knife after laying down a sheep to be slaughtered, saying
“Do you intend to make it die two deaths? Why did you not sharpen your knife before laying it down?”15
Thus, it is necessary to show sympathy towards animals even at the time of slaughter by adopting the method that is most humane. As such, pre-slaughter stunning (head only electrical) is in consonance with the message of the Prophetic narrations as it renders the animal insensible to pain and distress. Additionally, it is compliant with the Sharia requirements for slaughter.
Moreover, we are also encouraged to initiate further research to explore new techniques of slaughtering, stunning methods, appraise the existing practices at regular intervals by the Islamic scholars and technical experts to improve the animal welfare, meat hygiene and food safety for all communities locally and globally.
Working group as part of discussion:
Dr Collin W Wilson (Senior Vice President Veterinary Public Health Association), Dr Claire White (NFU), James Russell, President- British Veterinary Association (BVA), Dr Amer Rashid (CEHCT Ltd & HCO), Masood Khawaja (Halal Consultations 2013 Limited), Dr Peter Sheard (CEHCT Ltd), Mohammad Sajid Ali Ghori (HCO), Adeel Iqbal (Halal Certification Organisation Ltd -HCO), Dr Abdul Majid Ali (Halal Consultations 2013 Ltd), Dr Hisham Haq (CEHCT Ltd)
Centre for Islamic Decrees and Doctrines Board of scholars: Mufti Mohammad Farooq Alvi (Imam of Jamia Mosque, Birmingham), Shaykh Arif Abdulhussein (Director of Al Mahdi Institute, Birmingham), Dr Mohammad Khalid (Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies,
Birmingham), Dr Kumail Rajani (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Exeter), Shaykh Umar Ramadhan (Head of Ramadhan Foundation), Shaykh Abdul Hadi Al-Umri (Head of Jamiat e Ahle Hadith, UK)
Disclaimer:
This is a working document subject to ongoing review and may be revised in the light of new research(es). We are mindful that Islamic Principles only remain inflexible and stringent, and as time moves forward, jurists would exercise their ijtihad to avoid any contravention to ethical rules.
[1] Compassion in World Farming. (2018). Slaughter and killing: Pre-stunning.
[2] Welfare of animals at the time of Killing 2012/13/14/14 (UK) Protection of animals at the time of killing EC1099/2009 (EU) European Council, 2009; The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015; The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Scotland) Regulations 2012; The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (Wales) Regulations 2014; The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014
[3] RSPCA, ; British Veterinary Association (2019), Joint call to end non-stun slaughter.
[4] British Veterinary Association (2020). BVA position on the welfare of animals at slaughter. Farm Animal Welfare Council., 2003. Report on the Welfare of Farmed Animals at Slaughter or Killing, Part 1: Red Meat Animals; DIAREL Project, K.vol Holleben et al., 2010. Report on good and adverse practices – Animal welfare concerns in relation to slaughter practices from the viewpoint of veterinary sciences; European Food Safety Authority, 2004. Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare on a request from the Commission related to welfare aspects of the main systems of stunning and killing the main commercial species of animals. Mellor DJ, Gibson TJ, Johnson CB., 2009, A re-evaluation of the need to stun calves prior to slaughter by ventral-neck incision: an introductory review. N Z Vet J. 2009 Apr;57(2):74-6. doi: 10.1080/00480169.2009.36881.
[5] Holleben, K.V. et al. (2010) “Report on good and adverse practices – Animal welfare concerns in relation to slaughter practices from the viewpoint of veterinary sciences” Mellor, D. J. Gibson, T.J. Johnson, C.B. (2009) “A re-evaluation of the need to stun calves prior to slaughter by ventral-neck incision : an introductory review.” N Z Vet J. Apr;57(2):74-6.
[7] Defra and Welsh Government, (2018) Results of the 2018 FSA Survey into Slaughter Methods in England and Wales commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government.
[8] Nakyinsige, K., Che Man, Y.B., Aghwan, Z.A., Zulkifli, I., Goh, Y.M., Abu Bakar, F., et al. (2013). “Review: Stunning and animal welfare from Islamic and scientific perspectives.” Meat Science, 95, 352–361; Farouk, M.M. (2013). “Review. Advances in the industrial production of Halal and Kosher red meat.” Meat Science, 95, 805–820.
[9] Quran 5:3
[10] Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), “Demonstration of Life Protocol – Factsheet”
[11] Quran: 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, 16:115
[12] Anil, M.H., Yesildere, T., Aksu, H., Matur, E., McKinstry, J.L., Erdogan, O., Hughes, S. and Mason, C., (2006) “Comparison of Halal slaughter with captive bolt stunning and neck cutting in cattle: exsanguination and quality parameters.” Animal Welfare 15, 325-330; Anil, M.H., Yesildere, T., Aksu, H., Matur, E., McKinstry, J.L., Erdogan, O., Hughes, S. and Mason, C., (2004.) “Comparison of religious slaughter of sheep with methods that include preslaughter stunning and the lack of differences in exsanguination, packed cell volume and quality parameters.” Animal Welfare 13 (4), 387-392; Khalid, R., Knowles, T.G., Wotton, S.B., (2015) “A comparison of blood loss during the Halal slaughter of lambs following Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning, Electric Head-Only Stunning and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning.” Meat Sciences Dec; 110:15-23.
[13] Awan, J.A., Rahim, S.F.U. (2018) “Animal rights and welfare in Islam.” Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol.3(6):427‒430
[15] Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 20, Hadith 3155; Sahih Muslim, Book 13, Hadith 215.