Depok, Indonesia | October 24, 2025

Introduction

The global halal meat market continues to expand, driven by rising consumer demand in Muslim-majority and minority countries alike. Slaughtering animals in a manner compliant with Islamic law (ḥalāl) is a critical step in the supply chain. However, the way slaughter is done, the acceptance of practices like pre-slaughter stunning, and how it is perceived by consumers varies significantly across cultural and national contexts. Two recent studies offer important insight: one exploring animal welfare perceptions at slaughter across 14 countries (Sinclair et al., 2023) and another examining Muslim perceptions of novel meat technologies including slaughter-method considerations in Singapore (Ho et al., 2023). These help us understand how halal slaughter practices must adapt to cultural realities while still maintaining religious legitimacy and market access.

Cultural and Regional Variation in Slaughter Practices and Perceptions

According to Sinclair et al. (2023), public attitudes about animal welfare at slaughter vary by country — yet a consistent theme across cultures is that most people agree that it matters that animals do not suffer during slaughter. 

• In countries such as Australia, UK, USA and Chile, many respondents believed animals were fully conscious at the moment of slaughter and expressed higher levels of discomfort witnessing slaughter.
• In contrast, in countries such as Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Bangladesh, a higher proportion of respondents accepted slaughter practices involving conscious animals and were less comfortable with pre-stunning. 
• Importantly, while the desire to reduce animal suffering is broadly held, the means to achieve it — such as stunning before slaughter — is highly culturally, legally and religiously dependent.

This has strong implications for halal slaughter in diverse national contexts: what may be considered best practice in one country may conflict with religious or cultural expectations in another.

Halal Slaughter meets National Culture: Reconciling Religious Requirements and Local Conditions

For halal meat to be accepted in a given market, the method of slaughter must satisfy a number of religious criteria (animal eligibility, proper invocation, method of severing, draining of blood, etc.). Yet local culture, law and consumer expectations also matter. For example:

• In many Western countries, pre-slaughter stunning is legally required and considered best practice from a welfare perspective. But some Muslim communities view stunning (especially irreversible stunning) as undermining the requirement that the animal be alive and healthy at the moment of slaughter. Sinclair et al. (2023) show that Muslim respondents in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sudan were generally less favorable to stunning. 
• In more developed Muslim-majority countries such as Malaysia, exposure to industrialised slaughter is lower, and consumers may hold mixed views about stunning and halal slaughter. For example, Malaysians in the study indicated both preference for stunning and preference for religious slaughter — indicating possible confusion and knowledge gaps. 
• In export countries (such as Brazil or Australia) supplying halal markets, there is a mismatch: local public attitudes favor welfare improvements like stunning, yet to meet certain halal market requirements, animals may be slaughtered without stunning or with reversible stunning. Sinclair et al. note this as a “risk to the social license” of meat industries. 

Thus, halal certification bodies and slaughterhouses must tailor their slaughter practices into the cultural-religious context of both the supply country and the target market nation.

Case Example: Singapore and New Meat Technologies

While not directly about slaughter of traditional livestock, Ho et al. (2023) show how Muslim perceptions of novel meat (cultured meat) still hinge on slaughter and certification concerns — demonstrating how deeply cultural/religious context matters even in emerging technologies.

• In Singapore, Muslims emphasised that cultured meat must be halal: cells must come from animals slaughtered according to Islamic requirements, no mixing with non-halal ingredients, and certification must be trusted.
• This case suggests that for halal meat (traditional or novel) the slaughter method is not simply a technical issue but one embedded in religious legitimacy, trust in certification institutions, and alignment with cultural expectations.
• The lesson: slaughter practices (and certification) must be credible to Muslim consumers — not just technically compliant — in their cultural context.

Practical Implications for Halal Meat Inspection and Slaughter in a Globalised Market

From the above, several practical implications emerge for halal meat supply chains, inspection bodies and policy makers:

1. Understand local cultural/religious expectations: Slaughterhouses and certification agencies must be aware that consumer perceptions of welfare, stunning and slaughter vary by country/culture. Tailoring communication and practices is essential.
2. Certification must bridge religious and welfare concerns: Even if welfare science supports stunning as best practice, for certain halal markets reversible or no stunning is preferred. Certification standards should clearly define and communicate whether, how and when stunning is permissible in the context of halal requirements.
3. Exporter-country practice must accommodate importing-country requirements: For example, a country exporting halal meat must align its slaughter practices with the religious, welfare and cultural expectations of the importing Muslim market; failure to do so may damage trust and market access.
4. Transparency and education: Public knowledge about slaughter methods is often low (Sinclair et al.), and misalignment between actual practice and perceptions can undermine consumer trust. Transparent processes, clear labelling and educational outreach help build credibility.
5. Continuous improvement of welfare and cultural sensitivity: As animal welfare concerns increase globally (Sinclair et al.), halal slaughterhouses should improve welfare practices without compromising religious legitimacy. This may include investment in reversible stunning, staff training, and species-appropriate slaughter methods.

Conclusion

Slaughter practices for halal meat are not simply a matter of applying a religious ritual; they exist at the intersection of religion, culture, consumer expectations and animal welfare science. The two referenced studies show that while universal concern for animal suffering exists, how that concern is expressed and what slaughter methods are acceptable varies widely across countries and cultures. For the halal meat industry to succeed globally, slaughter methods and certification practices must be adapted to the cultural context of both producing and consuming nations — balancing religious compliance, welfare standards and consumer trust.

References

Ho, S. S., Chia, J. X., Lim, A. X., & Lee, W. J. (2023). Halal or not? Exploring Muslim perceptions of cultured meat in Singapore. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7, 1127164. 

Sinclair, M., Hötzel, M. J., Lee, N. Y. P., & Marchant, J. N. (2023). Animal welfare at slaughter: Perceptions and knowledge across cultures. Frontiers in Animal Science, 4, 1141789.