Jews and Muslims oppose slaughter ban

Jews and Muslims have joined forces to oppose a call from Government advisers to ban the methods used to create kosher and halal meat.

The move follows a report from the Farm Animal Welfare Council, which suggested that the Muslim and Jewish methods of slaughter - which involve cutting animals' throats and letting them bleed to death - was intrinsically cruel and caused severe suffering for sheep, goats and cattle.

The council, which advises ministers on how to avoid cruelty to animals, called for an abolition of the right of the communities to slaughter animals without stunning them first. But the report has enraged religious groups, who say that the methods used, known as halal for Muslims and shechita for Jews, are not inhumane.

Iqbal Sacranie, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "This is an issue on which Jews and Muslims alike are united. The methods used by both communities are almost identical and we both believe that the methods we employ are the most humane according to the evidence which is available. The Jewish and Muslim religions have a great deal in common, and we both believe that to stun animals before slaughter is simply not acceptable."

Henry Grunwald, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: "The Jewish community is united in its opposition to any proposal which could prevent us from living in accordance with Jewish law and practice.

"Many scientific experts have confirmed that the Jewish method of religious slaughter is at least as humane as any other method of slaughter.

"The right to practise shechita is fundamental to religious observance and entirely consistent with the requirements of humaneness. We call on the Government to ensure that the rights of the Jewish community are respected and protected, and that shechita can continue as hitherto."

The Jewish and Muslim religions demand that the animal be fully-conscious at the time its throat is cut with a long, sharp blade, rather than the more widespread method of a bolt to the head.

This is to ensure that the animal's blood, the consumption of which is prohibited by both faiths, is pumped out of the body before the heart stops. Both faiths believe this is the most humane way to kill an animal. The council's report sparked intense debate in the media, with the Evening Standard's Brian Sewell urging the Government to follow its advice and outlaw the practice.

But the Jewish and the Muslim communities said any ban would have a devastating economic effect on UK shechita and halal butchers.