The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW) has today hosted a round table discussion in the House of Lords regarding comprehensive method of stunning at slaughter labelling. Shimon Cohen, the Campaign Director for Shechita UK has made the following comment:
“Shechita UK is today participating in a round table discussion at the All Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare to discuss proposals for method of slaughter labelling. Our long-standing position has been that if there is demand, consumers should have every right to know what they are eating. However, it is neither correct nor sufficient for meat to be labelled as ‘stunned’ or ‘non-stunned’ as it would be dishonest to mislead the consumer into believing that mechanical stunning is some kind of therapeutic, calm, relaxing, medicinal process which gently sends the animal into a woozy state of unconsciousness. Mechanical stunning processes are aggressive invasive actions, designed to speed up the factories’ slaughter processes, with dubious welfare claims attached.
“We are encouraged that labelling discussions have now moved on to open, honest and comprehensive method of slaughter labelling which would ensure that consumers know whether their meat has been mechanically stunned by asphyxiation by gas, Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS), electrocution by tongs or electric water-bath or shooting with a captive bolt gun into the brain; or indeed Shechita.
“We hope that all involved will continue working with religious communities in a respectful manner, to ensure that any labelling gives the consumer a full understanding of every stage of the slaughter process.”