Halal Food Authority allows controlled electric stun-with-minuscule amperage, with official Veterinary Surgeon validating that the animal or the birds do not die prior to slaughtering. Stunning Halal or Haram No injury shall be inflicted on the animalâs nervous system, brain or spinal cord prior to slaughtering. What's the difference between halal meat and non-halal meat? Therefore, the Islamic ruling of stunning is an issue of paramount importance which has tremendous implications for Muslim consumers and businesses alike. A second, independent issue is the ruling of consuming an animal which has been stunned prior to a proper Halal slaughter. Halal compliant stunning methods for different animals After designing the slaughterhouse, it is important to ï¬ rst test the stunning apparatus for compliance with halal standards. Please refer to DHCE Halal Standards for more details. This is mainly due to poor communication from ⦠However, the impermissibility of the act of stunning does not influence the lawfulness of the animal which was stunned and does NOT necessarily mean that all stunned animals are also unlawful to consume. Muslim and Jewish leaders have filed lawsuits challenging the law in Belgium’s Constitutional Court. Religious leaders say minimizing an animal’s pain has always been central to their traditions, and a ritual slaughter — carried out with a sharp blade to the neck — should be quick and almost painless. HFSAA will do their best to educate the Muslim public with regards to the harms of stunning and plan to introduce a system to label products which are stunned and products which are not stunned. Belgium joins Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Slovenia, which do not allow religious exemptions to the stunning rule. 3 .1 million sheep (25 percent of total slaughtered) 3. There are two types of electric stunning that Halal Food Authority approves: Water-bath Stun â ⦠BBC, 2003: Halal and Kosher slaughter 'must end'. At issue is whether to allow religious exemptions to European Union rules that state animals must be knocked out before they are slaughtered, which supporters say is more humane. The current stunning method being used for chickens in Halal slaughterhouses is illegal. Stunning is a very serious matter and some scholars have used extremely strong language when describing the practice of stunning such as ‘against the spirit of Islam’ and an ‘evil innovation.’ Therefore, a Muslim should avoid using this practice as much as possible when slaughtering an animal. However, there are different forms of stunning; some of which are prohibited, and some are ⦠The majority of Halal lamb and goat in America and a good percentage of the Halal beef is imported from New Zealand and Australia. The animal must be slaughtered by the use of a sharp knife. For the majority, no. A renowned Islamic scholar, Mufti Taqi Usmani, has shed light on this important issue and he writes: ” The jurists have mentioned many signs that can be taken as proof of an animal being alive at the time of slaughter, for example if the animal bleeds at the time of slaughter like a living animal, or closes its mouth or eyes, or pulls together its legs, or shows any kind of movement, etc. OK, take a step back. On the other hand, if it is established that the animal was indeed dead at the time of slaughter, such an animal will be unlawful to consume despite the fact that it was slaughtered in accordance to Islamic law. Yes, Stunning is Halal! These are two different issues which are independent from one another and should not be cropped together under one banner. Jewish leaders remain divided over whether that method of stunning is acceptable, and how many seconds one should wait, Rabbi Genack said. The country’s tiny third region, Brussels, will still allow ritual slaughter. The knife must not kill due to its weight. The latest FSA figures, published in February 2019, show an estimate of 94 million animals were slaughtered without pre-stunning in 2018: 1. In practical terms, the percentage of non-stunned Halal meat is extremely low and the majority of Halal meat is stunned. This is blasphemy to Christians who worship the true God, but it should also be offensive to Buddhist, Hindus and the adherents of other religions. Most Halal slaughterhouses in North America also use some form of stunning before slaughter. The stance of HFSAA is that stunning should be avoided as much as possible and Muslims in the long term should move towards removing stunning completely from Halal slaughterhouses. He said he believed that anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiment was responsible for some — but not all — of the momentum behind the recent bans. This point is verified by extensive research at the ground level on the Halal supply chain in numerous cities all over America. The level of voltage and the application of the stunning mechanism is closely monitored by Halal inspectors and supervisors. The historical precedents are grim. HFSAA has adopted a balanced approach in the short term with regards the issue of stunning and have consciously chosen the ‘lesser of the two evils’ in order to provide more options for Muslims to consume authentic Halal products. There is debate about elements of halal, such as whether stunning is allowed. When they are stunned, animals are rendered unconscious through blunt force, electric shocks, gassing or a steel bolt that penetrates an animal’s skull. This article will attempt to shed light on this important issue. The ban went into effect this month in the northern region of Flanders and will be put into effect in the southern Wallonia region in September. Not Reciting God’s Name When Slaughtering. Since CAS is an irreversible method of stunning, where the birds eventually die, the Halal Monitoring Authority does not approve of it except when the following is guaranteed: â ⦠The slaughterers are trained to look for signs of life and to reject animals which do not bleed properly or do not display signs of life. The legal status of an animal which has been stunned is dependent on whether the animal was alive at the time of slaughter. Stunning through a device with a non-penetrating round head, in a way that does not kill the animal before its slaughter, is permitted, provided that certain conditions are adhered to. If the animal was indeed alive at the time of a proper Halal slaughter, then the meat of such an animal will be lawful to consume. SLAUGHTER CRITERIA HMA has adopted such a criterion for Halal slaughter that is accepted by all, irrespective of sects and schools of thought. The animal should also be slaughtered in a prescribed manner and by a faithful Muslim who can recite âshahada.â The Quran does not give a list of halal food but instead focus ⦠90.8 million meat chickens (9.7 percent of total slaughtered) 2. Everyone agrees that an animal’s suffering should be kept to a minimum, he added. Two regions of Belgium banned animal slaughter without stunning, spurring criticism from religious leaders. There are numerous advantages to non-stunned meat including complete drainage of blood, better consistency of the meat, and no concern of the animal dying due to the stunning. At the same time, HFSAA acknowledges the scarcity of authentic Halal products and understand that stunning is needed in the short term to meet the needs of the Muslim community. Therefore, if the fact that the animal was alive can be established in any way, it will be permissible to slaughter it, and its meat will be considered Halal. Proponents and opponents of stunning need to cooperate to protect animal welfare at slaughter and to produce high-quality meat. To know why keep reading⦠Halal slaughter operates on certain important key principles and one of them is humaneness so that means reducing the animal's suffering. Halal (/ h É Ë l ÉË l /; Arabic: ØÙا٠â, ḥalÄl; also spelled halaal) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible or lawful" into English.. This is further complicated by the fact that authentic, hand slaughtered meat itself is not readily available and the majority of the ‘Halal’ meat in America is processed using doubtful slaughter methods. Dr. Armanios, an associate history professor at Middlebury College, said that the research on what is more “humane” was inconsistent, with studies that can support either position. Other methods are reversible in theory and the animal can get up and walk around if not slaughtered in a few minutes. Since the legal status of a stunned animal is dependent on it being alive at the time of slaughter, there is a need to discuss how to ascertain that the animal is alive at the time of death. In the current situation, the supply of non-stunned Halal meat is insufficient to meet the supply needs of the North America Muslim community. Therefore because of all the negative aspects of stunning, the Halal Monitoring Committee has set a blanket ruling disallowing stunning in any form. Therefore, after careful consideration, HFSAA has decided to approve reversible methods of stunning in the short term for poultry and sheep under strict supervision to ensure that the animal does not die. Some argue that stunning itself can cause great suffering, particularly if it is not carried out properly. In other words, the most stringent guidelines have been adopted to ensure for universal acceptability and so that the consumable is Halal ⦠Health an Islamic Perspective. There are different types of stunning used for different species including turkeys, chickens, lamb, and cattle. The Belgian law was first proposed by Ben Weyts, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and government minister responsible for animal welfare. What is up for debate now is, among halal meat producers, certifiers and consumers, whether stunning accomplishes that goal. The question of stunning animals used for halal meat has become somewhat of buzzword amongst some UK Muslims. For this reason, many scholars have declared that the act of stunning is extremely disliked and close to being impermissible. Viva! After learning of the evil of stunning, a Muslim should do his best to consume meat which was not stunned and support businesses who supply non-stunned Halal meat. Temple Grandin, a renowned expert on humane slaughter (who was played by Claire Danes in a 2010 movie), has written that religious slaughter must be done with great attention to detail (and a long, sharp knife) to minimize suffering. There are different types of stunning used for different species including turkeys, chickens, lamb, and cattle. -The reason for using this system is to apply anaesthesia to the birds. They are authorized to remove such animals from the line and ensure that they are not included in the Halal production. Eric Lalmand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. Stunning. It is an established fact that the majority of conventional meat slaughterhouses in North America use some form of stunning to subdue and immobilize the animal before the slaughter. EU laws designed to reduce the suffering of chickens at slaughter came into force on 1st January 2013. If the Halal authorities were to completely reject stunned Halal meat and only accept non-stunned meat, then it would be extremely difficult to find authentic Halal meat in America. A Belgian ban on kosher and halal slaughter of animals without being stunned has been backed by the European Court of Justice, which rejected ⦠Meat from stunned livestock presents more quality problems compared to non-stunned. Halal slaughter without stunning has been associated with delayed loss of consciousness (Gregory, Fielding, Von Wenzlawowicz, & Von Holleben, 2010) and a noxious stimulus in the period following the ventral neck incision (Gibson et al., 2009). The United States has similar regulations, but allows for religious exemptions. SOURCES Smith, Rebecca, Sentenced to Death. The Jews have historically taken a strong stance against stunning and do not allow it under any circumstance. The Quran forbids the eating of any animal that has been slaughtered in the name of other gods other than Allah. There is a viable alternative in the form of the ‘kill box’ which restrains the animal for slaughter and eliminates the need to stun. Stunning has been used for decades and “promotes animal welfare and meat quality,” according to the North American Meat Institute, a trade group that represents 95 percent of American red-meat producers. 22 thousand cattle (1.1 percent of total slaughtered) None of the UK governments within the UK have a legal requirement to ensure all animals are stunned before slaughter. However, stunning in any slaughterhouse in any country in the world, is not always successful; Halal or otherwise. "But Halal Slaughter Is The Most Humane Way To Slaughter Animals" Some religious scholars say that religions place a lot of rules regarding how to slaughter animals, not because slaughtering animals is a merciful act, but because of the exact opposite. But kosher-certifying authorities say that no form of stunning before slaughter is permissible, said Rabbi Menachem Genack, who oversees ⦠Islamset. But a minority of halal food â and all kosher meat â does not involve stunning. there is no doubt that stunning of animals is cruel and causes unjustifiable suffering to the animals which is strongly prohibited in Islam. However, HFSAA will not allow lethal and irreversible stunning methods for cattle which will cause the death of the animal in a few minutes and will initiate cardiac arrest. A significant number of British Halal meat-eaters might be persuaded to switch to meat from stunned animals, if they were reassured that some forms of stunning are compatible with Halal ⦠Dr. Armanios added that there was one argument put forth by religious and secular people alike that is often overlooked: that there simply is no truly humane slaughter. The Nazis also cited cruelty to animals when they prohibited slaughter without stunning in 1933. In non-halal slaughterhouses, stunned animals are ⦠Halal meat comes from animals that are sacrificed "in the name of Allah," who is declared "Greater" than the gods of all other religions. The move was applauded by animal rights activists but condemned by religious leaders who see the ban as a threat to their communities. Most Halal slaughterhouses in ⦠... HFSAA is proud to be able to implement a higher standard of Halal and provide consumers assurance that the animal was slaughtered according to the methods accepted by the vast majority of Muslims. The observation of movement in the animal, or establishing the fact that a pulse exists is sufficient to prove an animal alive.”. The majority of beef slaughterhouses use a pneumatic stunner or a captive bolt pistol to subdue the animal before slaughter. Beyond the concern for animals, Jewish and Muslim leaders see darker motivations behind the effort to outlaw the practices. In the Netherlands, the government and religious groups struck a compromise, which took effect a year ago: If an animal is still responsive 40 seconds after its throat is cut, it must be stunned. Halal and kosher slaughter practices per se do not affect meat quality more than their conventional equivalents. Some Religious Leaders Say No. HFSAA is also dedicated to working in the long term with Muslim businesses and the meat industry to build the infrastructure needed to eliminate stunning once and for all from the Halal slaughter plants. Likewise, there are many Muslim leaders who are completely opposed to stunning and do not allow it. This presents challenges for the Muslim consumer who makes a conscious decision to consume only non-stunned Halal meat. HFSAA sent a delegation to research the Halal status of this meat and found that almost all of this meat is stunned due to the governmental regulations in these countries. A good percentage of Muslims are not consuming authentic Halal products, are not concerned about Halal, or cannot find authentic Halal products in their cities. In premises that undertake halal slaughter in New Zealand, reversible electrical stunning is used to ensure that animals are rendered unconscious instantaneously and remain unconscious at the time of slaughter, thus complying with both animal welfare and halal requirements. But kosher-certifying authorities say that no form of stunning before slaughter is permissible, said Rabbi Menachem Genack, who oversees certification for the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest kosher certifier. Stunning is an unacceptable action and the person who stuns will sinful for causing extra pain to the animal. According to the British Halal Food Authority, stunning is permissible. Based on the Halal needs of the Muslim community, many renowned international Halal organizations and authorities have accepted animals which are stunned with strict requirements and measures in place to ensure that the animal is alive when slaughtered. Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation, is known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. “What we see in Europe is ominous,” Rabbi Genack said. One of the most popular stunning methods is electrical stunning, and this study was conducted to gauge the viability of it as a reversible method for halal slaughter. However all animals currently slaughtered in Scotland, Northern Ireland a⦠Is Stunning an Animal Before Slaughter More Humane? Some methods are reversible and others are irreversible. On Monday, he retweeted Paul Joseph Watson, a far-right English commentator and contributor to the conspiracy site Infowars, who wrote that the ban “needs to happen in every European country.”. With the start of the new year, Belgium became the latest European country to ban traditional Jewish and Muslim animal slaughtering practices. Likewise, the vast majority of lamb and goat slaughterhouses apply an electric rod to the head of the animal before slaughter. The long-term goal is to move closer to the Sunnah method of slaughter and stop causing extra pain to the animal through stunning. ! When irreversible methods of stunning are applied, the animal will die if it is not slaughtered within a few minutes. The operator presses the button to begin moving the belt and the chicken is passed through an electric current water bath to stun it. New Zealand has introduced a halal quality assurance system that reassures Muslims that some methods of stunning, such as electrical head-only, donât result in the animalâs death before its neck is cut, and that blood loss causes the death. A small paradise country on earth, Mauritius offers great options for halal hotels, halal food, stunning beaches and perfect seclusion for halal holidays or honeymoons. This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification known as "the five decisions": mandatory, recommended, neutral, reprehensible and forbidden. A sheep on its way to slaughter during a Muslim holiday in Brussels. Both faiths require that the animal be treated well in life and be healthy and unharmed before slaughter, which all Jewish religious authorities and some Muslim ones interpret as a prohibition of “stunning” before slaughter. One preliminary point to consider when discussing the ruling of stunning is differentiating between the act of stunning and the legal status of the animal which has been slaughtered after stunning. Other European countries have varying requirements, according to a Library of Congress report released last year. Some halal-certifying bodies agree, but others do allow nonpenetrative stunning before slaughter. Removing the method of stunning to render the animals unconscious, clearly means that the animals â who we know can feel pain, grief, fear, and other emotions â are well aware of what is happening to them when they are slaughtered. To determine which foods can be considered halal, Muslims can draw their basis on three major religious sources: passages in the Quran, customs and sayings of Prophet Muhammad, and views of the religious scholars and leaders. There are numerous types of stunning including the pneumatic stunner which delivers a blow to the head of the animal, captive bolt pistol which shatters the brain of the animal, electric water through which delivers an electric shock to poultry, and electric brain stunner for sheep. Between 84 and 90 per cent of animals killed for halal meat in the UK are processed by one of the large number of halal slaughterhouses which do use electric stunning beforehand. The Conference of European Rabbis, which includes top religious leaders in 40 countries, called the new ban an affront to European values and said it “put Jewish life at risk.”. Another method of stunning that involves cardiac arrest is not allowed under halal rules. Halal Means Humane: Stunning of Animals from the Islamic Perspective In today's day and age, it is a major difficulty to know where our food comes from and more specifically, how the animals that provide meat for us to consume are handled and managed. The common factor in all these methods of stunning is causing extra pain to the animal above and beyond the pain experienced during the slaughter itself. “Animal welfare has been addressed by Islamic legal scholars since very early in Islamic history,” said Bogac A. Ergene, a history professor at the University of Vermont and co-author, with Febe Armanios, of “Halal Food: A History.”. âStunning the animal before slaughter leaves a huge doubt into the halalness of the animal as many could be killed by ⦠HALAL GAS STUNNING SYSTEM I will briefly explain about the details which are needed to be considered when applying the gas stunning process: -The amount of gas used and the variety levels of these amounts are really important. We will discuss these two rulings separately below. To be certified as halal, an animal must be alive and healthy, its throat must be cut in one swipe by a Muslim using a sharp knife and blood must be ⦠Stunning cannot be used to kill an animal, according to the Halal Food ⦠In the Quran, the word halal is contrasted with haram (forbidden). Approximately 90% or more of chickens are stunned through the reversible method of the electric water trough. Slaughtered by the use of a sharp knife, he added New and. 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