Excerpt:
A halal food certifier has decided to remove certification from stunned poultry if new EU regulations on stunning voltages are imposed.
In a letter sent to poultry operators on poultry operators on 12 November 2013, and seen by Meatinfo.co.uk, the Halal Food Authority (HFA) claimed enforcement of EC 1099/2009 on 1 January 2014 – which includes requirements for higher stunning voltages – could result in the death of birds prior to slaughter, something that is not permissible under halal rules.
"Having considered the impact of [the] eventual enforcement of the EU Regulation 'Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing' EC 1099/2009 on slaughtering of poultry for halal purposes, [the] HFA has now concluded stunning of poultry as incompatible with HFA halal standards and hereby abandon its permissibility for halal slaughtering in the EU," stated the letter.