The latest UK Government figures have revealed that 30% of sheep in England and Wales are slaughtered without pre-stunning through a religious loophole to animal welfare laws that is intended for less than 5% of the population. This is double what it was in 2013.
To minimise animal suffering, UK farming law requires that all livestock animals be stunned to be ‘insensible to pain’ before slaughter. However, loopholes for Jewish (kosher/shechita) and Muslim (halal) abattoirs permit animals such as chicken, cows, and sheep to be slaughtered through a slit to the throat and their blood being fully drained, without the use of pre-stunning to reduce pain and distress.
Explainer: Religious slaughter of animals
Jewish religious law forbids stunning before slaughter. There is disagreement about the matter among Muslims, meaning that while most halal meat is pre-stunned, a significant minority is not. Religious groups often insist that ritual slaughter is a ‘painless’ or ‘more humane’ method of slaughter, but this claim is not supported by evidence and has been rejected by all the UK’s leading farming and animal welfare bodies.
Humanists UK agrees with groups such as the RSPCA and the British Veterinary Association that these loopholes cause animals greater pain, distress, and fear and should be closed. Most of Belgium passed laws prohibiting non-stun slaughter in 2018 and 2019, closing a similar loophole for religious slaughter. These laws were unanimously upheld by the European Court of Justice in 2020 and again unanimously by the European Court of Human Rights in 2024.
Until such time as the loophole is closed, Humanists UK also asks the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) to mandate clear labelling of meat sold in supermarkets and butcher shops to make clear to consumers whether products were stunned or not prior, so they can make informed decisions about which foods they eat and which farming practices they are supporting.
In 2022, a Defra survey found that 97% of respondents supported labelling by method of slaughter.
A Humanists UK spokesperson commented:
‘No laws should accept religious beliefs as a justification for causing animal suffering that otherwise would not be permitted. But it is certainly wrong that, once again, religious loopholes to animal welfare laws introduced to cater to a small section of the population are being stretched far beyond that purpose.’
Humanists support the reduction of animal suffering resulting from human behaviour and see compassionate attitudes to animal suffering as a hallmark of a humane society. Humanists UK endorses the World Organisation for Animal Health ‘Five Freedoms’ for animals under human control, which insists upon the highest possible animal welfare standards, including ‘freedom from pain, injury, and disease’.
Notes
For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
Read the Defra report Results of the 2024 FSA Slaughter Sector Survey in England and Wales.
Read more about our work on animal welfare.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 130,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.