Lovekat, the Middle East is one of our largest meat markets.
Most boxes coming out of a great many abattoirs that ship there,
have the halal stamp of approval. Many things are involved, the
saying of a prayer, the way which the animal faces, having a Muslim
slaughterman do the job etc. The meat in most of those boxes was
produced by the use of stun guns.

Even in Indonesia there are 5 meatworks who use stun guns, that is
about to move to 10 works.

It is only some Muslims who claim that the use of a stun gun is
not halal. I gather that some of that in Australia is because our
local Jewish population insisted that their Kosher meat should not
use stun guns.

So all this is far from black and white.

We have animal cruelty in Australia reported every day amongst some
pet owners being cruel to their animals. Should we now ban all pet
ownership? Its a valid analogy, which those screaming for the halt
of the live trade, should stop and consider.

It's easy, really: just have a Muslim-approved scientist at the receiving port to check whether the animal has been killed according to Halal practice. If he or she can't tell, then obviously it DOESN'T MATTER!

Or we can go on catering to bloodthirsty theistic fantasies.

@ runner: Can't answer the question, eh?

I'm not on an irrelevant anti-choice soapbox, I'm on a pro-animal rights soapbox.

Well spoken Jake. As an ex livestock producer I was appalled, disgusted and sickened. I understand the principle behind halal - it's the same as Old Testament laws (Leviticus) stating the flesh of an animal normally deemed 'clean' that has died of itself or been wounded may not be eaten. To be 'clean' the animal must be healthy and whole at the time of slaughter. Any animal sacrificed to God had to be without blemish or bruise which meant careful husbandry prior to death.

I believe the Jewish and Islamic faiths sang from the same hynmbook at this stage of history so how did the barbaric cruel disrespectful methods these unholy butchers use evolve? How can their God approve of the suffering inflicted on animals he has provided as a food source? OK evolve is the wrong word. They haven't evolved.

These morons think they must 'prove' the animal is 'alive' at the time of slaughter and so once it has had its throat cut they still want to see movement? Well in the course of a rural upbringing and farming life, I have despatched for eating purposes, a few hundred 'large' animals - mainly cattle but also pigs, goats and sheep. In 99% of cases a gunshot of calibre matching size and type of animal was used to drop it, otherwise heavy blow to back of head, then immediate throat cut to sever arteries and veins. While the animal is brain dead or deeply unconscious, its involuntary nervous system causes heart and respiration to persist for 5 minutes or more and muscle movement for up to an hour. This ranges from violent to twitching but in EVERY CASE it is OBVIOUS to even the most backward religious nutcase THE ANIMAL WAS DEFINATELY ALIVE WHEN ITS THROAT WAS CUT. Not to mention rhythymic pumping of arterial blood from a heart still beating...

Apart from petitioning Government to act on stopping live exports until humane systems are proven to installed and operating, I am boycotting all Indonesian products, services and charities for the duration.

There is a choice here - ban Halal killing, or use methods which ensure humane performance.

Some of the treatment variations posted here give cause to decry the whole idea of Halal slaughter as barbaric, and "pandering" to outdated "laws" irrelevant in this day and age. This would of course be an attack on Muslim tradition, and some would take offense. Nonetheless, I would support this view, as I would also support the questioning of Kosher slaughter. The maintenance of divisive religious practice is at least in part responsible for all manner of conflict in our world, and we can all do without these destructive prejudicial "constructs" which mitigate against world harmony.

As for humane options for Halal slaughter, I am staggered at the primitive handling methods currently employed - even if by only one abattoir.

There is a simple way to make Halal slaughter humane - using a masked race (one with the sides covered with opaque material - common in many Oz cattle yards), which leads the animal into a masked cattle crush, but one with a difference - this crush would have an hydraulically operated side which will close in on the animal and hold it securely, and with a chin-bar (or similar) fitted, which can be adjusted to hold the animal's head reasonably securely, and then the whole crush, including its floor, is rotated hydraulically so that the animal will now be secured on its side (similar to an Oz' calf cradle), with little cause for distress, and no chance of self-harm. (Though heaven knows why the animal has to be on its side at all.) The animal is then stunned, so that, although still alive it is no longer conscious, and the throat, which would be held in clear access by the design of the crush, is swiftly and cleanly cut - if necessary using an inbuilt blade which is incapable of error in the process.

A fair, but not extravagant, cost, certainly, but one which would seem to satisfy all requirements - at least while such ridiculous practices are still demanded by outdated traditions.

"Animals feel the pain of Halal slaughter"

Not if they are stunned previously as happens in Aus and most modern Islamic abattoirs.