UK Assurance Standard Changes Affect Halal Poultry

After the mandatory implementation of the Freedom Food rule changes in October 2018, the Halal market is expected to become more difficult for egg producers. Freedom Food will revise its standards in October.

Freedom Food - the RSPCA's assurance standard - introduced revised standards on 7 October this year; anyone selling their eggs must comply with the Freedom Food label.

The amended code introduces a clause requiring that, from October 2018, producers must use Freedom-Food-approved slaughterhouses where hens end their production.

This means that the slaughter methods permitted in RSPCA-approved slaughterhouses may not meet the requirements of HALAL law.

Mia Fernyhough, senior scientific officer of the RSPCA, told UK agriculture that RSPCA standards require poultry to be killed by gas in approved slaughterhouses, except in some special circumstances. These circumstances include emergencies, such as preventing the outbreak of an infectious disease, or as an alternative method after the permitted system slaughter fails. HALAL and KOSHER require that animals be slaughtered in a specific way according to religious principles.

The slaughter method requires cutting the animal's throat with a knife, although there are other interpretations such as whether the animal is stunned before slaughter.

This requirement is unacceptable in some HALAL interpretations, which will also affect the hen market.

Mia said the RSPCA's requirement is that animals be anesthetized before slaughter.

Freedom Food (RSPCA Assured) is the RSPCA's ethical food label for farm animal welfare.

'The RSPCA's welfare standards will not change for this,' Mia said, 'this previously required killing the animal with gas.'

Now, after the requirement changes, all members must comply with Freedom Food standards, and in future slaughterhouses must comply with Freedom Food welfare rules.

The new standard stipulates: all hens must be sent to Freedom-Food-permitted slaughterhouses for slaughter, and the certificate of slaughter at the designated slaughterhouse must be retained.

The Freedom Food center also advises sending hens to designated slaughterhouses for slaughter before the new rules take effect in October 2018.

Animal welfare inevitably features in the extensively revised Freedom Food standards, which include changes extensively covering different aspects of managing the commercial level.