Ritual Slaughter and Animal Welfare - a big debate!

Since I haven't posted about any animal health news in a long while I thought I'd start again by covering a highly controversial topic - ritual slaughter and its implications on the welfare of livestock at the abattoir. As a vet student I feel strongly about this issue, but I should point out that every person is entitled to their own opinions and views and this post is just my understanding, interpretation and thoughts. Hopefully this post will prove useful in giving some background information on why this topic is so hotly debated and clear up some of the common points of confusion.

So what is ritual slaughter?
Ritual slaughter is when an animal is slaughtered in specific manner dictated by the religious requirements of a faith. The main faiths that practice this are the Jewish community where the meat slaughtered in this manner is known as Kosher and the Muslim faith where the meat is known as Halal.

Why is ritual slaughter so controversial?
In abattoirs where ritual slaughter is not practiced, by law all animals are stunned before they are slaughtered to ensure that they will not be conscious when the throat is cut a few moments laterr and thus no suffering or pain can occur, this is done using either a strong electric shock to the head or a captive bolt to the brain.

However the law does allow an exception in the case of ritual slaughter - this is the part in which it seems the media focuses upon. In reality over 80% of meat classed as Halal is stunned before slaughter, making the process no less humane than normal slaughter, therefore I feel it is unfair to label all meat from ritual slaughter as necessarily bad for animal welfare. The debate should focus more on non-stun slaughter as oppose to Halal and Kosher meat itself.

On the other hand, there is still just below 20% of animals according to reports destined for religious slaughter which will not be stunned. The practice of no stunning in ritual slaughter has already been banned in several EU countries including Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Poland and Switzerland. The main concern for animal welfare with non-stun slaughter is the issue of a delay in time between slitting the throat and bleeding to death in which the animal may be conscious and aware of what it happening to it. In my own opinion non-stun slaughter shouldn't be acceptable, with welfare laws protecting the animal throughout its life on the farm it seems unfair that the animal is not protected from suffering in its last few moments.

Nevertheless I feel it is also as important not to make the issue of ritual slaughter into a personal attack on those of religious faiths that practice it, because as discussed before the majority of the meat they consume is actually stunned and ensures a high standard of animal welfare. Instead I feel there needs to be a greater push for stunning to be compulsory in all sectors to ensure that any animal going to the abattoir is protected from pain, panic and suffering.

Could there perhaps be other consequences of banning non-stun slaughter to consider?
Some worry that if  non-stun slaughter was to be banned those desiring meat from this practice could simply look to importation of meat from countries where the practice is still allowed. This could cause a reduction of demand for British meat which some farmers are concerned about.
Some may argue that implementation of this would go against their right to practice their religion freely therefore adding into the mix another layer of debate that would need to be considered if such a change in the law was being debated.

Issues of meat labelling
To add to the debate further, it had also been revealed that some Halal/Kosher meat may be found in other food produce without the knowledge of the consumer. Unaware consumers may be buying products which contain meat from a non-stun slaughter origin of which if they knew about they may oppose as there is no requirement for halal or kosher meat to be specifically labelled.

As a result it has been suggested that better labelling of meat products is required to indicate the source of the meat they are buying. In my view this labelling needs to go further than simply labelling whether the meat may have been produced by a ritual slaughter method or not. To allow for the consumer to have a choice, meat should be labelled as either stunned or non-stunned, because as discussed before not all animals in ritual slaughter are killed unstunned. By being more informative on the origin of meat produce, consumers would then have the power to choose whether to accept the practice or not and hence may be able to further illustrate the public opinion of non-stun slaughter.

Where can I find out more on the non-stun slaughter debate?
Farmers Guardian
BVA
BBC News
RSPCA

Youngsters vs Farrier - Equine placement week 2

My second week on equine placement kicked off with a bit of excitement! The yearlings were due for a hoof trim by the farrier and the yard owner kindly invited me to join in with helping to herd the young horses up from their designated field and drive them down onto the yard ready to meet the farrier for the first time!

Two of the pregnant mares kept in the field with the youngsters were caught in head collars and acted as the lead animals to encourage the yearlings to follow, whilst one member of the team followed behind the horses to prevent them from bolting back to the field. My main job was to act as an exit block and prevent the horses from going up one of the many pathways separating the field from the yard. As I watched the 9 or so horses trot down the hill towards me it reminded me very much of lambing and the time I had taken up a similar position to stop the sheep disappearing down the road - luckily the horses seemed a bit more sensible than the sheep, for this part at least! 

Once the horses had been safely contained in a field on the main yard, I had the chance to get to know a few of the yearlings. Alfie was a rather big chestnut who was incredibly friendly and seemed fascinated in my mucking out job whilst I waited for the farrier to arrive, in fact at one point he even tried to steal my sweeping brush- taking it between his teeth and moving his head side to side! My other favourite was a smaller mouse grey called Judith the foal of a pony I used to ride many years ago who although was very timid clung to Alfie's side and gradually plucked up the courage to come and say hello!

Mid-afternoon the farrier arrived and the fun began! We tried starting with the quietest of the yearlings first but it became apparent very quickly that even they weren't too sure about removing their hooves off the ground. The farrier then changed his approach and used a soft lead rope to gently encourage the young horse to lift its leg, as soon as it obliged the farrier would release the pressure and allow the horse to lower the leg. This taught the horse that there were no bad consequences by allowing their hooves to be handled. Furthermore we tried to make sure the horses had a good first experience by offering food as a reward whilst the farrier worked away and scratched their withers as a method of reassurance, as this is a behaviour horses will naturally display with their friends in the wild.

One method I did come across during this experience was the use of the twitch as a method of restraint in one of the difficult horses when all the above methods to keep it calm failed and the yearling kept rearing, kicking and thrashing. The twitch was applied to the end of the horses nose and it was remarkable to see the difference. Apparently the twitch device works by releasing endorphins to the horses brain acting as a natural soother and preventing injury to the farrier, handler and horse.

Overall this day in particular was one of the most informative whilst on my placement. In a short space of time I feel like I expanded my knowledge of dealing with young and nervous horses, a skill which will become more important when I potentially enter practice as some of the patients I will have to see will inevitably be inexperienced at vet checks like the yearlings were for the farrier or nervous by nature.

 I have now completely finished my two weeks on equine and now I am making the most of a short break (and savouring the lie-ins) before I begin my first full dairy experience next week!

Moving on to second year and equine placement!

Today I thankfully received the news that I had passed my first year of vet school with a distinction and would be returning in September as a second year ! When I look back on all I have learnt in the space of a year it is quite daunting knowing I've got another four more years of material to cover and retain! I am so thrilled that the hours of staring at parasites, dissection guides, lecture notes and anatomy videos have paid off and I can now get back to enjoying placements and my summer before it begins all over again.

Speaking of placements, I am currently spending two weeks at the yard I used to ride expanding my knowledge of horse husbandry! The great thing about this yard is the wide variety of different horses I come into contact with - from flashy competition horses to riding school ponies and yearlings. This gives me a good opportunity to handle horses of contrasting personality types and re-familiarise myself with the basic equestrian skills a vet may need, such as catching a horse from a field, tacking up, picking out hooves, grooming and general  handling.

Of course with the privilege of working with horses comes hard work! I have spent a lot of this week mucking out and poo picking the fields. Although lacking in glamour, these are important jobs that help prevent disease and parasites and are essential to the well being of the horse. Plus I might actually be building some muscles by doing these tasks as on day one of the placement I realised just how little body strength I have! Tack cleaning has also become a job I enjoy doing - there's something very satisfying about watching as a bit of elbow grease and saddle soap transform a tired looking saddle into a piece of art.

There have also been some great perks to this placement - namely getting to ride out on hacks when there's a horse to be exercised! Until I went to vet school, I rode regularly but unfortunately the downside of being a student in London is the cost of being able to get in the saddle and the long tube ride to the stables on the outskirts of the city, therefore for the past few months my opportunities to ride diminished. Having not ridden since November it was refreshing to return to exploring the countryside on horseback and I don't think there's a better way to appreciate your surroundings than a gentle canter through the fields.

One embarrassing incident did occur however whilst rediscovering my buried riding abilities. I was due to go out on a ride with one of the stable grooms and decided to mount up as I saw her bringing her horse down the yard. Unfortunately my horse Sox decided he didn't fancy doing any work and would not stand still at the mounting block no matter how hard I tried. Eventually I decided I would take an brief opportunity whilst he was stood at a slight angle to jump on but Sox had other ideas and with a bit of a buck as my foot touched the stirrup threw me to the floor. Of course most of the yard saw and I felt like a bit of an idiot but apart from that I escaped unscathed and continued to have a lovely hack out with Sox who decided to behave himself after a bit of a telling off.

Here's to hoping that the next week of placement is just as exciting and eventful. It's so brilliant to be out and doing what I love best which is being around animals and makes me feel as though I haven't completely wasted the summer!