Source: The Guardian
Fears UK export deal signals it will become normal to lower standards to secure trade deals
Senior politicians and animal welfare groups have condemned the government over a deal that allows meat from lambs slaughtered without being stunned to be exported to Saudi Arabia.
They say the deal, estimated by the government to be worth £25m over the next five years, shows a shameful disregard for animal welfare and signals that after Brexit it will become acceptable to lower standards to secure trade deals.
When the food minister George Eustice announced the deal in February, it was unclear whether the animals would be stunned before being slaughtered in the UK. But the only UK scheme approved by the Riyadh-based Gulf Accreditation Centre to certify the exported meat is the Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC), which forbids all forms of stunning, Vet Record magazine reported.
Categories: Europe, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, The Muslim Times, UK
It is time that Muslims stopped their love affair with the eating of meat, which is the cause of the barbaric torture and slaughter of innocent animals. Even for the Eid festival where an extreme version of this traditional killing/sacrifice takes place, it surely would be a greater expression of love and devotion to offer some money or other food to poor people. Traditions can and do change over time, and we are now going through change in many religious practices which is coming about with education, and more emphasis on not killing and kindness to humans as well as animals is a step in the right direction. Humans can live healthily without meat, and getting weaned off meat is not difficult. After all, most poor people rarely eat it. Cruelty is unacceptable whether towards humans or animals.
It is not correct to say that it is healthy to not eat meat. We need a balanced died. My sister and her husband turned ‘vegan’ and found out that something was missing. They started eating eggs now, not meat (again) yet, but they are on the way. Balance is everything. And, yes, we do not need lots and lots of meat, but a bit of everything that is permitted is good. Alhamdolillah.
I agree that we need a balanced diet, but there are many people who manage to have that without meat, including some Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, and some others, who are opposed to the killing of animals. The problem is that many are conditioned to eating meat, I was brought up like that also. But those who have chosen the path of vegetarianism or veganism (and it’s becoming more popular) have mostly done so for reasons of conscience. The killing of humans or animals cannot be accepted as a path to spirituality, and no religion should condone it. Animals have feelings too, and they feel pain just like humans do. But trying to convince those addicted to their meat is a difficult task.