The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2014 - Issue 34 | Page 15

FARM NEWS

Poor information on Halal is
confusing consumers, says NSA
The practice of not stunning animals
before slaughter is not common, even
in meat intended for the halal market,
says the National Sheep Association
(NSA) in what is says is an attempt to
clarify some of confusion that exists
about the issue.
Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says:
“If lamb and mutton is processed as halal
it does not automatically mean the animal
is not stunned before slaughter and, right
around the globe, the practice of nonstun is decreasing. Sheep farmers work
hard every day to ensure high welfare
standards for their sheep and we all want
to see this understanding of good welfare
continue beyond the farm gate to the point
of slaughter. Stunning at slaughter is best
practice and desirable but a proportion of
followers of some religious faiths insist on
slaughter without stunning and we have
little option but to respect those beliefs
and continue to work on awareness and

explore alternative options such as postslaughter stun.
“A major unintended consequence of
misinformed discussions about halal in the
past has been an increased demand for
non-stun product, not less, so raising this
issue so publicly can have the opposite
effect and drive things backwards not
forwards.

“NSA i ́