Britons are inadvertently eating meat from animals slaughtered while they are still conscious, a top vet has warned.
Lord Trees, who is a former president of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, said the meat would mainly be found in pies and ready meals.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of sheep and poultry being killed without being stunned first. This has been attributed to religious practices.
But Lord Trees, a crossbench peer, said it was highly probable that some unstunned meat was entering the ‘standard’ food chain as well.
Writing in the journal Vet Record, he pointed out that many experts were calling for a law change so that all animals had to be stunned before being killed.
The issue is controversial because halal and kosher meat – some, but not all of it, from stunned animals – is an essential part of Muslim and Jewish practices. [1121 comments]
[TOP RATED COMMENT 7645 votes] The sooner Kosher and Halal are banned altogether the better a civilised society cannot call itself so if these wicked practices are allowed to continue.
[2ND 5902] Its a joke and its disgusting. This IS animal torture. Thi needs to be regulated. its not right.
[3RD 5680] This should not be forced on the public at large.
[4TH 4556] I want to eat only non-religious meat.
[5TH 3225] This is chilling. [Daily Mail] Read more
