Thank you for contacting me about religious slaughter.
I understand the depth of your feeling on this issue. As you are probably aware there are long-standing provisions in UK law that, subject to specific requirements, permit the slaughter of animals without prior stunning to meet Jewish and Islamic religious requirements.
Although I would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter, I recognise the requirements of Jewish and Muslim communities and accept the importance they attach to slaughter in accordance with their beliefs.
I am, however, determined to ensure that religious slaughter is only carried out by licensed slaughtermen in approved or regulated slaughterhouses. Slaughter is not and must not be permitted in any other place, even for personal consumption.
Consumers should have the information they need to make an informed choice about what they eat. Most halal and kosher meat is already labelled voluntarily, but because there is a single market for food across the European Union, currently any mandatory labelling system would need to cover more than just the UK. Following our withdrawal from the European Union and subject to the outcome of the exit negotiations, the Government will need to consider future policy in this area.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
