National Secular Society Condemns Defra’s “Fairer Food Labelling” Consultation

The National Secular Society (NSS) has expressed strong criticism toward the UK Government, accusing it of creating major obstacles to the implementation of mandatory labelling for meat produced from animals slaughtered without stunning for religious reasons.

In its response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s consultation titled “Fairer Food Labelling”, the NSS voiced “tremendous disappointment,” highlighting that the consultation excludes information about slaughter methods despite Defra’s own research showing overwhelming public support for such labels.

The consultation aims to enhance “transparency” in food labelling, but it does not address whether animals were stunned before slaughter. Under UK animal welfare laws, animals must be stunned prior to slaughter to minimize suffering. However, exemptions for Jewish and Muslim communities permit slaughter without stunning to meet kosher and halal requirements.

Although experts widely agree that non-stun slaughter causes unnecessary pain, current legislation does not require products from such methods to be labelled accordingly.

NSS Says Consultation “Ignores” Core Animal Welfare Issues

The NSS criticised Defra’s claim that existing laws already ensure animal welfare during slaughter, calling this argument dismissive of the millions of animals killed annually without stunning for halal and kosher meat.

According to the NSS, multiple surveys — including Defra’s own — have repeatedly shown strong public support for clear labelling of products derived from non-stun slaughter.

The ongoing consultation only covers poultry and pigs. While pigs cannot be slaughtered without stunning under any circumstances, chickens are often slaughtered without stunning for religious purposes. Defra’s figures indicate that more than 16 million chickens are killed this way each year.

The department suggested that labelling for cattle and sheep meat would be considered later, only if the initial proposals for poultry and pigs are deemed successful. The NSS argued this approach sets up “significant barriers” to broader implementation and could delay labelling reform for years — or prevent it entirely.

Unlabelled Meat from Religious Slaughter “Misleading Consumers”

The NSS also drew attention to the scale of unlabelled meat from religious slaughter entering the general market. Defra’s data indicates that more than half of the cattle slaughtered for kosher meat are rejected for not meeting religious standards but are still sold as regular meat, without labels indicating the slaughter method.

The organisation said this situation could be “potentially unlawful,” given that government guidance specifies that meat from animals slaughtered without stunning should be “intended for consumption by Jewish or Muslim people.”

Call for Separate Consultation on Animal Welfare Labelling

Megan Manson, NSS Head of Campaigns, accused Defra of ignoring consumer expectations. She stated that most consumers want transparency regarding whether the meat they eat comes from animals slaughtered ethically.

“No animal should suffer unnecessary cruelty to satisfy religious demands. If non-stun slaughter remains legal for halal and kosher production, meat from those animals must be clearly labelled,” Manson said. 

The NSS urged Defra to initiate a separate consultation focusing on animal welfare labelling that explicitly includes all species and mandates clear identification of meat from animals slaughtered without stunning.

Original Article:

National Secular Society. (2025, October 7). NSS: Government putting up “barriers” to non-stun slaughter labels.Retrieved from https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2024/04/nss-government-putting-up-barriers-to-non-stun-slaughter-labels