As I posted above 21 Sep 10 - 07:22 AM new regulations voted by the European Parliament in June could mean that animals slaughtered in compliance with either Islamic or Jewish regulations would receive distinct labelling from animals not killed through 'religious' slaughter.

Whilst Shechitah – animals killed according to Jewish law – are not pre-stunned, there IS variation within the Islamic community, with several abattoirs pre-stunning animals, albeit using a significantly lower voltage to that of non religious slaughter - (this is sometimes referred to as 'reversible' stunning as the animal could recover consciousness if not killed.)

The Halal Food Authority, who pre-stun animals before slaughter, supported the amendment but the Halal Monitoring Committee believes that proposed labels, which would read, "meat from slaughter without stunning", would help perpetrate incorrect notions about non-stunned meat.
The chairman of the company, Mawlana Hanif Dudhwala, argues, "Non-stunned slaughter of animals is not cruel when done properly and we believe this method produces the safest halal option and a better quality of meat."

The proposed measures can only be implemented if supported by all 27 EU Agricultural Ministers, later this year.

Meanwhile an article in The Jewish Chronicle warned that 'the Jewish community must organise to defend the practice'

Jacky Lipowicz, chair of the Licensed Kosher Meat Traders' Association, said that the community needed to speak out to protect religious freedom

The laws of kashrut can appear quite arbitrary to the outsider,

For example certain parts of kosher animals are non-kosher.
One such part is the sciatic nerve in the hindquarters, which is extremely difficult to remove.
Thus some of the choicest cuts of meat - like filet mignon and sirloin steak - are forbidden or 'trayf'
It is possible that if these high value cuts were to be labelled as 'religiously slaughtered' or non-stunned (and currently something like two thirds of such meat enters the mainstream market) the financial viability of kosher meat production could be in doubt


If you feel strongly about supporting the current European proposals I suggest lobbying your MEP would be a more productive course of action than harrasing the RSPCA but it wouldn't answer the OP's complaint that
'TESCO and ASDA now have halal meat counters in some of their stores'
Or apparently even satisfy the opinion that it is 'very, very wrong' and the RSPCA have 'lost the plot' by accepting 'reversible' stunning practices.