Halal and kosher meat should be labelled so people don’t accidentally eat ‘cruel’ meat, peer says
Baroness Parminter called for compulsory labelling of meat from animals which weren't stunned
HALAL and kosher meat should have to be labelled in the shops so Brits know what they’re eating, a peer said today.
Animal rights activist Baroness Parminter told the Lib Dems conference that people shouldn’t be tricked into buying meat from animals which weren’t stunned before they were killed.
Speaking in Brighton, she said: “I accept the scientific evidence that the practice of killing by the throat, passing it without pre-stunning, does compromise animal welfare.
"So if slaughter's going to be allowed in this country without pre-stunning to supply our Muslim and Jewish communities then it should be labelled so that people can make an informed choice and it should be for our own home markets, we should not be exporting it.”
Kosher meat must be made from animals which haven’t been stunned - they have their throat and windpipe cut while still conscious.
Most halal meat is made from stunned animals, but some Muslim scholars say the animals must be conscious when killed.
Former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said when he was Deputy PM that he’d happily eat a halal pizza - but only if it was properly labelled.
The party today passed a string of new policies on animal rights.
They are calling for a ban on glue traps which condemn animals to a slow and painful death, and an end to wild animals in circuses.
Tim Farron said: "Treating animals with respect is central to our liberal values and we call upon the Government to reflect this belief in its own policies.”
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