New publication raises bar for Halal slaughter experiments

By Rizvan Khalid

A new scientific paper has been published using modern digital technology to increase engagement and transparency in the field of Halal Sheepslaughter. “A comparison of blood loss during the Halal slaughter of lambs following Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning, Electric Head-Only Stunning and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning” was published in the December 2015 edition of the Meat Science journal (Volume 110, pages 15-23) with the online version containing research-friendly features such as multimedia videos, detailed data spreadsheets and hyper-link referencing.

The author Rizvan Khalid commented “More than the outcome itself I was interested in ensuring the experimental design was well-planned, transparent and easily communicable. UK Halal stakeholders were invited to feedback on the experimental design during the preparation stage and were invited to attend the first day of the experiment. It’s important that such research is conducted openly and made easy to critique and so I decided early on that digital dissemination was a key requirement to further understanding and development in this field.”

Khalid’s publication uses video clips to readily demonstrate the animals, equipment and protocols deployed whilst statisticians can access the complete set of data results to deepen research insight. All references are hyper-linked to allow easy follow-through to the original citations. The authors concluded that there were no significant differences in blood lost at exsanguination between the three treatment groups. The paper was published Open Access (for a fee) to allow access to interested researchers who would otherwise be denied by the subscription pay-wall. The digital link to the paper can be found here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174015300358

Rizvan Khalid,
Senior Director
Euro Quality Lambs Ltd
Email: rizvan@euroqualitylambs.co.uk
w:
http://www.euroqualitylambs.co.uk/