Government accused of ‘promoting animal cruelty’ with deal to sell lamb which wasn’t stunned before being slaughtered to Saudi Arabia
Ministers have denied they plan to lower animal welfare standards post Brexit after the £25m agreement was attacked by MPs and campaign groups
THE GOVERNMENT is guilty of “promoting animal cruelty” with a deal to sell lamb which has not been stunned before slaughter to Saudi Arabia.
Ministers have denied the £25million agreement signals a plan to lower animal welfare standards post Brexit as the UK aims to sign our own trade deals with countries around the globe once we exit the EU.
But the deal, announced by food minister George Eustice in February, has been attacked by MPs and campaign groups.
According to magazine, the British lamb to be exported to Saudi Arabia is being certified by the Halal Monitoring Committee.
This prohibits any stunning of animals before they are slaughtered, which is meant to prevent them from feeling pain before they are killed.
Under UK legislation all animals must be stunned, but exemptions are allowed for religious communities – however opponents of this deal suggest this should not be extended to overseas groups.
Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats’ food spokesperson, said the government had shown “extreme negligence” in agreeing the deal.
He told the : “The UK must not trade away its principles and values.
“We have a responsibility to push forward the global animal welfare agenda, by ensuring farm animals are treated as humanely as possible and paying full regard to standards when establishing trade deals.
And Marc Cooper, head of the RSPCA’s farm animal department, told the newspaper: “This [deal] is very disappointing news. Non-stun slaughter causes serious suffering for animals.
“The Government has committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare under the current Brexit discussions. “
A spokesman for the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “It is not true to suggest the agreement to lift the 20-year ban on lamb exports to Saudi Arabia was a move to increase sales of non-stun meat.
“All slaughter, whether stun or non-stun, must comply with strict rules on animal welfare and we have been clear these standards will not be watered down as we leave the EU.”