Two Labour MPs are celebrating today after meat from ritually slaughtered animals was put on the menu at Westminster. Zarah Sultana (Coventry South) and Charlotte Nichols (Warrington North) had campaigned for halal and kosher meat to be made available in Parliament and they have confirmed that a trial has now begun.
The cruel method of ritual slaughter, in which animals are killed without being stunned, is banned or restricted in a small handful of Western countries. There are currently no restrictions in the UK, contrary to recommendations of the government's advisory body - the Farm Animal Welfare Council. The group says that ritual slaughter 'causes severe suffering to animals'. The RSPCA also condemns the practice.
There should be no place for such barbaric methods in any Western democracy that values animal welfare, but sadly it is permitted across North America and most European countries. For it to be served up in the Houses of Parliament is nothing short of sickening.
Sultana is a Muslim, while Nichols is a Jewish convert.
