RSPCA shifts spotlight to ritual slaughter

By Jason Om
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/18/3247288.htm
Updated Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:13am AEST
Halil Haliloff is allowed to kill without stunning at his farm north of Adelaide

Halil Haliloff is allowed to kill without stunning at his farm north of Adelaide (ABC: Jason Om)

* Audio: RSPCA moves to ban some Halal slaughter (AM)
* Related Story: Labor needs moral compass on live exports: Wilkie
* Related Story: Butcher backlash after export horror revealed
* Related Story: NT Government says live exports must continue
* Related Story: Halal, kosher slaughter to face Commonwealth review

With Australia's live cattle exports to Indonesia still in limbo, the RSPCA is now calling for Australian abattoirs to be banned from ritually killing animals without stunning them first.

The national halal standard requires most abattoirs to stun the animals before their throat is cut, but several have been given approval to kill animals without stunning.

RSPCA spokeswoman Melina Tensen says it is a brutal practice and should be banned.

"The RSPCA believes that it's unacceptable to cut the throat of an animal or sever blood vessels while the animal is fully conscious," she said.

http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-kosher-slaughter-in-Australia_117.htmlKosher beef, sheepmeat and chicken are produced from animals that have not been stunned prior to having their throat cut.

The RSPCA is strongly opposed to all forms of slaughter that do not involve prior stunning of the animal.

The RSPCA is concerned there are greater risks of animal suffering during religious slaughter without stunning than for conventional slaughter. The number of animals involved is a tiny percentage of all animals killed but, regardless, the method is distressing to the animal due to:

* increased restraint
* injury caused by the slaughter methods
* subsequent bleeding out.

The use of stunning during the slaughter process can remove some, but not all, of these concerns.

The RSPCA definition of humane killing is: ‘an animal must be either killed instantly or rendered insensible to pain until death supervenes’. When killing animals for food, this means they must be stunned before slaughter so they immediately become unconscious. The RSPCA policy on ritual slaughter is clear: slaughter without prior stunning is inhumane and completely unnecessary. The RSPCA is opposed to inhumane methods of killing and continues to promote this view to governments and the public.

I can't believe that a supposedly modern, secular country like Australia still allows such practices to continue.

I'm sorry, but I don't believe any God would condone cruelty to his/her creatures on Earth.
The old practices of killing animals in a certain way so they are 'permitted' to be eaten is surely way overdue for an overhaul as far as some religions go?

The 'olden days' were populated by peoples who didn't know any better with regards of how to humanely treat animals, and were not in a position to argue with their religious leaders.

If all people of either Jewish or Islamic religions today refused to eat the meat of animals killed by inhumane methods, then surely these archaic religious 'rules' of how to kill animals could be dropped?

suzeonline,

Yes and the worst part of it all is & I know you wont believe this! its been done by our Australian Government. Can you believe that suzonline. I cant pretend to know much about the Kosher but I do have some good news regards the Halal ritual slaughters. New leaders are going to support RSPCA to stun @ oppose the others pro ritual. Of course there are about 15 abattoirs working right now killing like that here. Its sickening. Yes it is hard to imagine that type of brutal primitive killing of our Australian farm animals is happening on our own soil. Your right in not believing suzonline.

Full marks again to the RSPCA for bringing public attention to this issue. I was under the impression that animals were required to be slaughtered humanely in Australia, and assumed that in the cases of Halal and Kosher killing the animals were stunned prior to having their throats cut.

It's hard to see how cutting a conscious animal's throat could possibly be done humanely. Conversely, if the animal's unconscious it doesn't really matter what sacred words are chanted, nor how its throat is actually cut.

I can't believe that ritual slaughter without pre-stunning is permitted in Australia. It has to cease forthwith. Go RSPCA! I might even donate them some money.