Esther McVey MP is attempting to introduce a law which would mean Halal and Kosher meat is clearly labelled at the point of sale.
Ms McVey said the change was not about banning Halal or Kosher meat, but about animal welfare, transparency of the meat industry and consumer choice.
Speaking in Parliament she said: “It is important consumers have such information so they can make an informed choice about what they are buying. Currently consumers do not have that information, and many are purchasing and consuming Halal and Kosher meat without their knowledge and agreement.”
The unique process of halal and kosher meat requires the animal to have its throat slit. In the case of halal meat, the animal is often stunned before it’s killed (but not always), and for the shechita killing (for kosher meat) there is no pre-stunning at all. This lack of stunning causes the animal to experience severe pain.
Ms McVey added: “An individual concerned about animal welfare would want to know if the animal has been stunned prior to slaughter. Likewise, there are many religious groups who want to know what they are consuming too and if meat has been blessed by another religion. In all these cases clear labelling is essential to make an informed choice.”
As it stands, the law requires animals to be stunned before slaughter unless for religious reasons, but there is no requirement on food to be properly labelled. And, what was once an exemption to the accepted stunning process of animals, has become a growing part of the UK’s meat market.
According to Government figures, of the 1.035 billion animals processed in English and Welsh slaughterhouses in 2024, an estimated 214.6 million were slaughtered to produce halal meat. The analysis found that total meat supplied by non-stun slaughter is about four times greater than the population of Muslims and Jews in the UK.
The lack of required labelling has led to an over production, in part because costs are less, due to a stage of the meat process, stunning of the animal, having been removed.
Exports of meat from the UK to the United Arab Emirates have soared and supermarkets and take-away chains as well as schools, hospitals and local councils are serving halal and kosher meat without consumers’ knowledge.
Ms McVey said failing to mention labelling in government’s new Animal Welfare Strategy was a “missed opportunity”.
She added: “In August 2022, the (then Conservative Government’s) call for evidence on labelling for animal welfare found that, almost 99 per cent of respondents said method of slaughter labelling should be introduced. And research from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board shows that clear halal certification is stated as important for 92 per cent of halal consumers. So isn’t it time we updated our regulations and demanded our meat was clearly and fully labelled, so we know what we are buying and eating? Surely that is what consumer choice is all about, and I would wager that the overwhelming majority of animal lovers in the UK expect the House of Commons to support my Bill.”
Ms McVey’s Ten Minute Rule Bill will now be prepared and return to Parliament on July 10.
