Belgian Ban On Halal And Kosher Slaughter

[fender62]

i have to agree the ban is correct, animal suffering for some archaic religious belief
this ban should be in all western countries, as a meat eater myself i would not want the animal
to suffer, call me a hypocrite err vegans would but i do actually care about them suffering.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9064255/Belgian-ban-Muslim-halal-Jewish-kosher-animal-slaughter-backed-EU-court.html

[Sunk]

Organic food is available in shops. It is produced more traditionally, and is more expensive and possibly inferior. But that is its selling point, and not a cause for it to be banned.
If people want traditional food, they should have it.

[pixie374]

We do, yes... but I also can't realistically complain about the food chain. I do think we need to treat them properly though. There is no excuse for abusing them while they are alive.

[Atheist]

Pixie, I agree with the idea that they should be allowed a decent life. I still worry about those last moments (probably shorter for a home-strangled chicken, but certainly awful for a large animal). It's just my view, but I prefer not to have mass-produced breeding and slaughtering going on so that I can have 'nuggets' or 'quarter-pounders'. All reminds me of the efficient way that the Nazis carried out their business - I'm sure many of the camp bosses did their best to ensure a painless (for them) and swift and efficient throughput.

[pixie374]

No doubt we need to do better... I'm unsure of the theory that it's better to not live at all, than to have a short, happy life. But that's debatable too really.

[Atheist]

Pixie; I'll think about your last post, but for now I need to retire. Sleep well.

[pixie374]

You too xx

[fcc]

pixie,i would sooner have a short happy life than none at all.

[pixie374]

I think I would too.

[New Judge]

//NJ ….implies that he needs meat substitutes.//

No he doesn’t. He can't stand them. He needs meat. In fact one of the things that annoys me intensely is the way some vegetarian and vegan food is designed to look like meat. If you don’t want to eat meat then don’t eat it. That’s fine by me. But why is stuff like this produced:

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/300544698

Steak is the flesh of animals. I’ve seen adverts for such stuff use phrases such as “just like the real thing.” No it’s not. It’s compressed plants. You can’t make steak from plants. Similarly you can’t make milk from plants. Milk is liquid food produced by lactating mammals. You can’t make it from soya beans. Call it “soya juice” if you want, but it isn’t milk. But I think I’ve done this rant before.

[AZardoz]

Meat will be priced out of range for most, who will then get the equivalent of Soylent Green.

[ichkeria]

Surely the rule should be: don’t allow slaughter without stunning (while not kidding ourselves that that is a soft option)

[Atheist]

NJ I don't believe you need meat; I just think that you like meat and want meat. Is that not the case?

[jourdain2]

I couldn't agree more and have been advocating this for some years. Muslims are permitted to eat non-halal, if it is not available, - that is how the early arrivals in Bradford managed. I don't know about Judaism, but I would think that it is equally pragmatic. If not, well, there is always healthy vegetarianism. And no-one can say they were being picked on at the expense of the other.

[jourdain2]

^^ This is in reply to OP. Will read more now.

[Atheist]

Pixie and fcc. You can't really compare having a short happy life with no life at all. I can't explain it very well, but you're trying to put non-existence in some kind of opposition to existence and I don't see that you can do that. I'll have to think more about this, but it reminds me of what I thought was an unhealthy view once put to me that life was so marvellous that the miserable life of battery hens was preferable to no life at all.

[pixie374]

Atheist, I wasn't referring to a "miserable" life, but a happy one, which was shorter than usual- or nothing. Which are the two choices.

[Atheist]

Pixie, there seems to be a logical contradiction. Ask two entities what they would prefer. One entity exists and says 'I prefer to exist'. One entity doesn't exist and so does not reply.

[pixie374]

No.... but I think we have all agreed that abuse isn't acceptable... if you had two flat choices- you live a normal, healthy life and die at 20. Or you are never born at all... which would you go for?
I don't honestly know, myself. But I think we have to be careful not to assume that eating meat, means we have to mistreat animals.

[emmie]

if people want to eat halal then as said it should be labelled as such, w
have been blindsided into accepting it as the norm. Labels are also misleading still, where it might say British produce it may simply be packaged here. Our local butchers went years ago, to be replaced with Waitrose, the nearest local butcher to me take half an hour of walking to get to - i think people should be more aware of where their meat is sourced but many buy with their pockets, which is understandable, i know i do for the most part.
No animal rights activists don't mention halal meats which is a shame, as those people should stick up for good practice in all fields of animal husbandry. I don;t eat halal unless its unknowing. Which of course has been half the problem.

[emmie]

no one said they shouldn't have it sunk but do you agree that not all want it, what about schools where only halal is served, that should cause people concern surely as many may not be aware that it is so. Schools have a duty to all pupils not just those from ethnic backgrounds to provide safe nutritious foods, if its an Islamic school then perhaps one can understand it. But maybe not for the majority in this country, where its taken a long while to get where we are with food production, stunning seems out of the options the better way to despatch animals, i know that may not suit the vegetarians or the halal exponents but we should at least have that knowledge.