The Centre for Islamic Decrees and Doctrines (DIA) successfully organised and delivered its first educational workshop on “The Growth of the Halal Meat Industry in the UK and Practices of Halal Ovine (Lamb/Sheep) Slaughtering” on Monday 9th September 2024 at Al-Mahdi Institute in Birmingham.
The workshop was held in collaboration with the Halal Certification Organisation (HCO), the Centre of Excellence in Halal Compliance and Training (CEHCT) and The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Its goal was to bring together experts from various sectors to discuss the growing halal meat industry in the UK, its increasing potential in the global market, concerns around animal welfare, halal certification processes, and Islamic perspectives on halal slaughter.
The workshop featured six presentations beginning with Lord Alexander Trees (Member of the House of Lords and Professor of Veterinary Parasitology). Lord Trees who is one of the only veterinary surgeons in the House of Lords was able to introduce the day and speak about ‘Demonstration of Life’ protocols put forward by his working group and the compatibility of this protocol with halal slaughtering practices.
Following this, there was a presentation by Dr Muhammad Khalid (The Centre for Islamic Decrees and Doctrines) who spoke about Quranic and Hadith evidences related to the central role animals play in our lives and what our interactions should be like with them. He specifically referred to hadith which spoke about animal welfare around the time of slaughtering and prohibited practices such as branding an animal’s face.
The third presentation of the day was by Dr James Russell (British Veterinary Association) and the role the BVA in animal welfare. He presented a snapshot of how slaughtering has changed over the last 100 years or so in the UK and how principles around animal welfare have shaped slaughtering practices. He went into further detail about the ‘Demonstration of life’ protocol which ensures that at the time of slaughter, the animal has been rendered unconscious by non-lethal stunning. Following the stunning and with evidence of a heart-beat as well as breathing, slaughter can be performed, thus deeming this practice to be both acceptable by current standards around animal slaughter care, i.e., to remove the experience of pain, as well as halal standards of slaughter.
The fourth presentation was by Dr Awal Fuseini (The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board) on global and UK halal markets and the opportunities and challenges inherent in these.
The penultimate presentation was by Dr Amer Rashid (Halal Certification Organisation Ltd) who spoke about the practices of Halal Certification. He highlighted lack of knowledge around current practices in the community sector as an impediment to accepting halal certification in the UK. He stressed the need for changing the perception and understanding of halal certification, touched on the ‘farm-to-fork’ 100% traceability and halal assurance carried out by halal certification authorities. Furthermore, he showed how current certification practices actually fulfill Sharia standards as well as upholding best practices in animal welfare, hygiene, health and sustainability.
The final presentation of the day was by Shaykh Arif Abdul-Hussain (Al-Mahdi Institute) who touched on the importance of collaboration of Islamic scholars and Industry experts in applying Islamic edicts in today’s day and age. He further stressed the need to evaluate over-consumption of meat by Muslims and moving to alternative sources of food that ensure that animal welfare as well as human welfare is maintained.
All six presentations were followed by a vibrant Q&A session which highlighted the need for further collaboration between industry experts and Islamic scholars to enrich understanding, foster co-operation and ensure Islamic values are applied in today’s context.
Dr James Russell of the British Veterinary Association:
“On behalf of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for inviting us to speak at your recent event focused on the growth of the Halal meat industry in the UK and Halal slaughtering practices. It was a privilege to contribute to such an important and timely discussion.
The opportunity to engage with your audience and share insights into our work and perspectives was both rewarding and enlightening. We greatly value the platform provided by the Al-Mahdi Institute and appreciate the effort you put into organising such a comprehensive and informative event.
We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate and support the advancement of understanding and practices within the industry.”
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