As I said previously 20% of halal meat in the UK is from animals that have not been stunned prior to slaughter. It is this minority that the BVA has concerns with, arising from an exemption to EU legislation granted by the UK government. In my view this exemption should not have been granted.

"BVA launched the Parliamentary e-petition because scientific evidence shows that slaughter without pre-stunning allows animals to feel pain and compromises animal welfare. This scientific evidence includes the EU-funded Dialrel project that ran for four years between 2006 and 2010 and that concluded "It can be stated with high probability that animals feel pain during and after the throat cut without prior stunning." It is a position supported by the Humane Slaughter Association, the Farm Animal Welfare Council, and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe.

BVA notes that more than 80% of Halal meat is stunned before slaughter. BVA's concern does not relate to religious belief but to the animal welfare compromise of non-stun slaughter."