Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

The fact that animals have feelings is something that is commonly agreed. Many authors show
how animals' views of their environment is quite similar with human views. Animals, which
are slaughtered without prior stunning, find the moment of slaughter unpleasant and stressing.
This is shown in numerous of scientific studies. The cognitive ability of animals can be
compared to how they experience feelings and scientists have shown how the structures in the
brain that involves feelings and cognitive behaviours in animals are very much the same as
the structures in human brains. Because of this, some scientists consider that behaviour in
animals can be directly interpreted into human feelings.
Halal- and kosher slaughter comes from traditions. These traditions come from interpretations
of religious texts. The texts were written in a time when there was little knowledge of animal
welfare and food hygiene. What the texts are saying is that animals should be treated with
respect and that they should not suffer. Some animals are, according to the texts, not clean and
should therefore not be consumed. This also applies for some parts of the animals' body. If an
animal somehow is injured, the meat can not be eaten according to the religious texts. This
causes trouble, when in modern times; animals are stunned prior to slaughter. For some
religious groups, stunning is concerned to be an injury and the meat can therefore not be
consumed.
In Sweden it is not allowed to slaughter animals without prior stunning. The European laws
say the same, but there is a possibility to slaughter animals without prior stunning for
religious purposes.
According to sources in the EU more and more animals are slaughtered without prior
stunning. This is because it is easier to have one way to produce instead of two. The meat that
is not sold to the religious groups is in some cases sold as "regular" meat. I have not been able
to get answers to the questions if the Swedish food chains sell meat of this kind or not. But I
have hopefully awoken an interest in the question and I am hoping, thorough this, that they
make considerable research in where the meat comes from and how the animals are treated at
slaughter.