Religious Slaughter Research Articles

Slaughter without stunning

Bill Reilly has spent his professional life working in public health and is a past-president of the BVA. The current situation is not acceptable, says Bill Reilly AS a postgraduate veterinary public health student in the late 1970s I was appalled to witness Schecita slaughter, something I had not seen as an undergraduate. The distress, fear and pain were there for all to see (and hear) in the abattoir. Fortunately the Weinberg rotary crate in use at that time has since been outlawed in the UK (although rotation is still used in some parts of the EU), but the legacy of non-stun slaughter remains and appears to be increasing. From an animal welfare perspective this cannot be acceptable. However, we are fortunate to live in a tolerant society and respect the religious beliefs of different faiths and must reconcile animal welfare with religious freedom. It is important to differentiate between ‘religious’ and ‘non-stun’ slaughter. My concern has nothing to do with the expression of religious belief but with the practice of killing by throat cutting without pre-stunning. UK (and EU) legislation gives a derogation for non-stun slaughter for the ‘food of Jews’ and for the ‘food of Muslims’ with the overriding principle of ‘without the affliction of unnecessary suffering’. The challenge to society is to enable religious slaughter without compromising animal welfare. I do not believe that there is any scientifically robust evidence to support the contention that non-stun slaughter has the welfare of the animal at its core. I do accept that the initial religious texts reflected concern with the health and welfare of animals and were a major step forward in protection for both humans and animals. Since that time science and practice have developed that allow us to go further to protect both human health, through the …

Religious slaughter: Evaluation of current practices in selected countries

As part of the project “Religious slaughter (DIALREL): improving knowledge and expertise through dialogue and debate on issues of welfare, legislation and socio-economic aspects”, this paper discusses an evaluation of current practices during Halal and Shechita slaughter in cattle, sheep, goats and poultry. During religious slaughter, animals are killed with and without stunning by a transverse incision across the neck that is cutting the skin, muscles (brachiocephalic, sternocephalic, sternohyoid, and sternothyroid), trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins and the major, superficial and deep nerves of the cervical plexus. In this report, the restraint methods, stunning, neck cutting, exsanguination, slaughter techniques and postcut handling in the abattoir were assessed for religious slaughter. Information about the procedures used during religious slaughter in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Turkey and Australia was collected by means of spot visits to abattoirs. To standardize the information gathered during the spot visits three guidelines were designed, one for each species, and translated into the national languages of the countries involved. The document included questions on the handling and restraint methods (stunning, neck cutting/exsanguination/slaughter techniques and postcut handling performed under religious practices) and for pain and distress of the animal during the restraint, neck cutting and induction to death in each abattoir. Results showed differences in the time from restraining to stun and to cut in the neck cutting procedures and in the time from cut to death.

Perception of medical university members from nutritional health in the quran.

Background:Desirable health is impossible without good nutrition, and Allah has addressed us on eating foods in 118 verses.Objectives:This study aimed to describe the medical university faculty members’ perceptions of nutritional health in the Quran, revealing the important role of faculty members.Materials and Methods:This qualitative study was conducted with a phenomenological approach. Homogeneous sampling was performed in a final sample size of 16 subjects. The Colaizzi's phenomenological method was applied for data analysis.Results:Three main categories were extracted from the data analysis, including the importance of nutrition in the Quran (referring to certain fruits, vegetables and foods, illustrating and venerating the heavenly ones, nutritional recommendations, revealing the healing power of honey and the effects of fruits and vegetables on physical and social health); reasons of different foods being lawful (halal) and unlawful (haram) (religious slaughter, wine, meats, consequences of consuming haram materials, general expression of halal and haram terms); and fasting (fasting and physical health, fasting and mental health).Conclusions:What has been mentioned in the Quran is what scientists have achieved over the time, since the Quran is governed by logic. Although we do not know the reasons for many things in the Quran, we consider it as the foundation.

Religious Slaughter: Data from Surveys and Spot-Check Visits in Italy and Animal Welfare Issues

The public is becoming increasingly concerned about how nonhuman animals are treated, and many studies show that European citizens are concerned about farm animal welfare. Religious slaughter has always been a controversial and emotive subject, caught between animal welfare considerations, cultural and human rights issues. There is considerable variation in current practices, and the rules regarding religious requirements are still confusing. Similarly, consumer demands and concerns also need to be addressed. Therefore, there is a need for information relating to slaughter techniques as well as product range, consumer expectations, market share, and socioeconomic issues. This research aims at identifying the procedures for current methods of religious slaughter in Italy. Conventional slaughter is performed with prior stunning; kosher slaughter is practiced without stunning. Halal slaughter is performed for most of the animals without stunning. Halal slaughter with prior stunning is accepted for 5.9% of small ruminants. Questionnaires were sent to regional health authorities, and spot-check visits were conducted on cattle, sheep, and poultry abattoirs in Italy from October 2008 to March 2009. The observed parameters are discussed in regards to the risk to animal welfare. Observations not only on restraining methods, but also on post-cut, clinical indicators of consciousness are considered. This research is the first, systematic attempt to analyze the methods of religious slaughter and to discuss the implications for animal welfare.

Making slaughterhouses more humane for cattle, pigs, and sheep.

When a stunning method is being evaluated, it is essential that the animal-handling and restraint methods that are used with it are also examined. This makes it possible to determine the effect of the entire system on animal welfare. Cattle, pigs, and sheep will move easily through the races at a slaughter plant if visual distractions such as reflections on shiny metal, dangling chains, moving equipment, or people up ahead are removed. The most important scientific research on captive bolt, CO2, and electrical stunning methods is reviewed. A common mistake made by people evaluating insensibility is to misinterpret reflexive leg kicks as a sign of return to sensibility. When religious slaughter is being evaluated, the variable of how the animal is restrained must be separated from the variable of slaughter without stunning. Slaughter can be done with a high level of animal welfare.

Religious Slaughter: Promoting a Dialogue about the Welfare of Animals at Time of Killing

Both the Muslim and Jewish faiths have specific rules for the method of killing religiously acceptable nonhuman animals. Animal slaughter without stunning prior to cutting the throat for the production of food suitable for consumption for Muslim and Jewish people, called religious slaughter, has been a contested issue for a long time in Europe (see Vialles, 1994). When the method of electrical stunning was first introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century, this contested issue led to a “science versus religion” war about the animals’ pain and consciousness at time of killing. Electrical stunning of animals prior to slaughter was welcome and widely accepted, according to Burt (2001), because it addressed issues of civilized, or humane, behaviour and technology that were important to the meat industry. The first scientific textbook for the meat industry, by Leighton and Douglas (1910), described the goal of the industry as producing the optimum amount of meat of the best quality in the shortest time (Burt, 2001, p. 87ff ), and indicated that from about 1927, introduction of electric stunning before slaughter presented new possibilities for achieving such a goal. This new method of stunning presented options of efficiency, low cost, and hygiene as well as the possibility of meeting animal welfare considerations. It also seemed a win-win technology that could be operated with relatively little skill compared to, say, wielding a poleaxe. In the words of Muller (1932), one of its pioneers, the technology indicated “the higher standard of modern civilization” (p. 487, cited in Burt, 2001). However, this technology was strongly rejected by the Jewish communities, which took issue with injuries to the animals prior to having their throats cut and claimed that the Jewish method of slaughter, shechita, was already addressing animal pain and was ensuring animals’ unconsciousness with the simple cut of the throat. This claim was based on the thorough training of the

Acceptability of Electrical Stunning and Post-Cut Stunning Among Muslim Communities: A Possible Dialogue

Abstract Current technical-scientific advances allow a reappraisal of some practices used during religious slaughter without compromising its deep and essential meaning, through to the identification of techniques that limit the nonhuman animal vigilance without causing any lesion that may impair its integrity. All this in respect of religious principles of the Jewish and Muslim community and in respect of animal welfare, minimizing as much as possible the risk of causing useless suffering to the animals. A demonstrative slaughter was performed in a slaughterhouse of the Modena province (Italy): ritual incision of the neck vessels was preceded by stunning to explore the feasibility that lessening animal suffering could conform to religious prescriptions, as it does in other countries. Two alternative methods to classical ritual slaughter without prior stunning were illustrated in order to limit animal suffering during killing and comply with Islamic ritual requirements.

Fuzûlî'nin Divanına Sosyal Psikoloji Açısından Bir Bakış (Ötekileştirilmiş Fuzûlî)

The general themes of Fuzuli’s love poetry are bitterness of heart and sadness, trouble and sorrow, loneliness, poverty, misfortune, such as issues. Fuzuli’s most common complaints are the expressions of destiny, fate and luck. At every opportunity, Fuzuli says that he is innocent, luckless, miserable and poor. His pessimistic, pessimistic mood is evident due to the society in which he lived. Fuzuli was born and raised and lived in the land where the event of Kerbela, then a permanent places of conflict. At 16. century in and around Baghdad, the Suni-Shiite enmity and hatred among the population have increased well. Fuzuli lived in it so deep psychological conflict that has left traces of his pessimism and feelings of loneliness always felt in all his works. Fuzuli is Shiite. He has presented Qasidas to the Shah and governor. Therefore, it is understood that Fuzuli has not been taken much affinity by the Sunni and the Sunni government of the people. At the time of Ottoman rule, the approach of Kanuni and his managers has also resulted in the Shiite friends, and friends should be moving away from him. Thus, Fuzuli was really isolated and leaved lonely by these two religious slaughter people. The most important reason for his pessimism is loneliness.

Religious slaughter and animal welfare: data from an online consultation

Two are the main results of the online survey, which was conducted with the purpose to examine the purchase behavior of a group of consumers and their views on animal welfare and religious slaughter. First result is the respondents’ great interest about the question on animal welfare, which is in accordance with the growing interest of European citizens about this issue. Second is the demand for a more transparent labeling of animal products, which would be also concerning animal welfare and slaughter method used. These results are in conflict with marketing analysis, which find that consumers want to receive only positive information. Paradoxically, the more information is transmitted to reassure consumers the higher risk to alarm them.

Labelling Illogic? Food Animal Welfare & the Australian Consumer Law

This article is intended as the first of two exploring whether, and to what extent an existing regulatory regime in the form of the new Australian Consumer Law (the ACL) and the economic forces of informed consumer demand that it protects, can be employed to advance food animal welfare initiatives and the address practices associated with the religious slaughter of animals.

Effect of slaughter technique on bleed-out, blood in the trachea and blood splash in the lungs of cattle

The South African Animal Protection Law, which requires animals to be stunned before slaughter, allows certain exemptions to accommodate religious slaughter. The supporters of the Jewish method of slaughter (Shechita), in which animals are slaughtered without pre-stunning, claim that the bleed-out and some quality parameters are better than when the animals are stunned before slaughtering. In this study, the percentage blood loss (BL%), presence (%) of blood in the trachea (BLT%) and blood splash % in the lungs (BS%), between the Shechita (Kosher) group and the conventionally slaughtered group of cattle were compared. Results showed no significant difference between the two treatment groups in terms of blood loss, although the conventional group had a higher bleed-out. However, there were significant differences in the presence of blood in the trachea and blood splash in the lungs, with the Kosher group having the highest percentages of these quality defects. Out of 170 animals examined for Kosher, 93% had blood lining the trachea, ranging from one to over 50%. From the 141 animals examined for the conventionally-slaughtered group, 97% had no blood lining the trachea while the remaining 3% had less than 10% blood lining the trachea. Furthermore, 65% of animals slaughtered in the Kosher way had blood splash ranging from 5% to over 50%, while the conventional group had only 0.7% incidence of blood splash in the lungs. These results show that slaughtering animals without stunning do not improve bleed-out, but increase blood in the trachea and blood splash in the lungs.Keyword: Blood loss, conventional slaughter, Kosher slaughter (Shechita), sticking, stunning

Religious slaughter: A current controversial animal welfare issue

Religious slaughter: A current controversial animal welfare issue

Animal welfare: a complex international public policy issue: economic, policy, societal, cultural and other drivers and constraints. A 20-year international perspective

AbstractThe World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) policy definition that “animal welfare is a complex international public policy issue with scientific, ethical, economic, cultural and religious dimensions, plus important trade policy considerations” clearly demonstrates the multi-faceted nature of animal welfare. Progress made is inevitably incremental and compromises often have to be reached between animal welfare and other important societal values. Recognition of the need for managed change over agreed time-frames, and involving full consultation with affected animal user groups, is essential. This paper draws on case studies involving intensive livestock agriculture, live animal exports for slaughter, religious slaughter and vertebrate pest control in both New Zealand's domestic experience, gained over the last 20 years, and international (OIE) experience, gained over the last ten years. Case studies will also highlight policy considerations relating to animal health, food safety and the impact on the environment. Important drivers of animal welfare change will be discussed; as will the constraints to making changes. The paper will conclude by commenting on the direction, and rate, of animal welfare change and the impact of animal welfare being addressed, not only at the national and regional level, but now also at the international level.

Government Regulations of Shechita (Jewish Religious Slaughter) in the Twenty-First Century: Are They Ethical?

Human beings have engaged in animal husbandry and have slaughtered animals for food for thousands of years. During the majority of that time most societies had no animal welfare regulations that governed the care or slaughter of animals. Judaism is a notable exception in that from its earliest days it has included such rules. Among the Jewish dietary laws is a prohibition to consume meat from an animal that dies in any manner other than through the rigorously defined method of slaughter known as shechita. In recent decades more and more attempts have been initiated by governments around the world to either outright ban or to control and modify the practice of shechita. This paper presents the requisite background about shechita and then analyzes the ethics of some of the recent legislation. The analysis includes a rebuttal of the assertion that shechita is an inhumane method of slaughter. It further presents the consequences on the Jewish community of legislation to impose pre-slaughter stunning and explains why such legislation is unethical. The actual effect of labeling laws is discussed and it is shown why such laws are also un-ethical.

RELIGIOUS SLAUGHTER: EXAMPLES OF PRACTICES IN ITALY

The present study aimed at identifying the procedures for current methods of religious slaughter. It consisted of spot visits in abattoirs carried out from October 2008 to March 2009 in Italy. The species covered were cattle, sheep and poultry. During this period, five abattoirs in three different Italian regions were assessed. All the animals were slaughtered without stunning. A reliable protocol was developed to record each animal during slaughter, to get 329 minutes and 28 seconds of video. 313 animals were observed by video image analysis for both halal slaughter and shechita. Observed parameters are discussed in the light of animal welfare. Remarks on restraining methods as well as post-cut clinical indicators of consciousness are considered.

Religious slaughter in Italy

This research aims to understand the prevalence of religious slaughter practices in Italy. Two different ways of slaughtering animals are identified. Conventional slaughter is performed with prior stunning; kosher slaughter is practiced without stunning. Halal slaughter is performed for most animals without stunning. Halal slaughter with prior stunning is acceptable for 5.90% of small ruminants. For Halal slaughter in Italy, the terms "religious slaughter with stunning" and "religious slaughter without stunning" should be used to differentiate religious slaughter practices, keeping animal welfare in perspective.

VALUATIONS OF CURRENT METHODS OF RELIGIOUS SLAUGHTER IN ITALY

The aim of this study is to estimate the scale of practices of religious slaughter and to evaluate current methods practiced in Italy. Three different approaches have been used to obtain data. Stunning before sticking is performed in 5,9% of small ruminants slaughtered according to Halal ritual. Hypothesis of violation of Dlgs 333/98 are discussed in the light of an improvement of religious slaughter practices in Italy.

Lukian z Samosat na temat krwawych rytuałów: diatryba O ofiarach

This paper analyses the diatribe On sacrifices (De sacrificiis), written by famous Greek satirist of Roman imperial period, Lucian of Samosata (ca.120 – ca.190 A.C.), called Blasphemer or Atheist by Suda Lexicon, and traces its philosophical and literary sources. Lucian criticizes all forms of traditional Greek religion, in particular animal sacrifices (thysiai). He campaigns against traditional piety, that is, superstition, mentioning two pre-Socratic philosophers: Heraclitus of Ephesus and Democritus of Abdera. The satirical representation of Greek gods in On sacrifices bases on the Iliad of Homer, the desciption of the Eastern cults is anachronic (based on Herodotus), without any references to contemporary religious phenomena. The Lucian’s detailed description of religious animal slaughter (chapters 12-13), though it shows a great sensitivity and emotional involvement, is unclear, because there is no sign to recognize which he means: an usual Greek animal sacrifices or the holocausts. This emotional description is influenced by Homer’s poems and by two important moralizing writings: On piety (De pietate) by Theophrastus (fragments preserved in Porphyrius’ De ahstinentia, II) and On the eating the meat (De esu carnium, 1–II) by Plutarchus of Chaeronea.

Illegal Labelling and Sales of Halal Meat and Food Products

The position of halal foods is complicated in the UK. Both European and domestic systems of law are involved in what has become in recent years a highly regulated field. By contrast, religious dietary laws are ancient. Dietary laws and requirements in Islam require that permissible animals are treated and slaughtered in a particular way before Muslims are allowed to consume the resulting meat or meat products. In recognition of this requirement, as in many other countries, UK legislation makes provision for religious slaughter of animals for food by exempting Muslim and Jewish communities from a provision in the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended) that requires all animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered. There is, however, no food legislation that is specific to halal. One reason for this is because there is no consensus within the Muslim community about what precisely constitute halal requirements with respect to the slaughter of animals for human consumption. In particular, whether the use of stunning prior to slaughter is allowed remains a highly controversial issue. Much comment on this is based on scientific and religious misinformation. This has resulted in confusion within the community and consumer confidence is low. There is an urgent need for consensus and clarity in respect of the definition of halal. Without this, consumer protection will remain complicated and difficult. Consumer law does afford some protection for those wishing to purchase halal food and Muslim organisations have made considerable efforts to establish a quality standard to provide food purchasers with

False aneurysms in carotid arteries of cattle and water buffalo during shechita and halal slaughter

It has previously been shown that the cattle brain is supplied with blood via a basi-occipital plexus, in addition to branches from the carotid and basilar arteries. In addition it has been shown during conventional stunning and slaughter that the carotid arteries in cattle can develop false aneurysms at their severed ends and this can curtail exsanguination. This investigation examined whether false aneurysms can occur during religious slaughter, and during bleeding following electrical stunning that simultaneously induced a cardiac arrest. The prevalence of large (>3 cm outer diameter) false aneurysms in cattle carotid arteries was 10% for both shechita and halal slaughter. The prevalence of animals with bilateral false aneurysms (at least 2 cm in one artery and at least 3 cm diameter in the opposite artery) was 7% and 8% for shechita and halal slaughter, respectively. No false aneurysms occurred during bleeding in cattle that were electrically stunned and simultaneously developed a cardiac arrest. The combination of false aneurysms and collateral routes to the brain present a risk of sustained consciousness during religious slaughter in cattle.