UK: Farm minister faces row over reviewing religious slaughter

The farming minister is on a collision course with Muslim groups after pledging to reconsider ditching tighter rules on the religious slaughter of animals.

The EU and the Union flags fly outside The European Commission Representation in LondonGeorge Eustice said that he would review a decision made last year to shelve EU laws intended to ensure that chickens were unconscious before being killed according to Islamic tradition.

The government exempted British abattoirs from the regulations that increased the minimum electric current applied to chickens before their throats were cut to ensure that they were stunned rather than immobilised.

Halal groups say the higher current could kill the chickens, rendering the deaths un-Islamic.

For full story go to The Times.