The A.V.S.P.N.I. is proud to lend its weight to the campaign to end the slaughter of livestock without prior stunning which was launched this week by the B.V.A. in conjunction with the R.S.P.C.A.  Among our core beliefs as an Association has always been the principle that the veterinary profession should give a lead in the wider animal welfare debate. As a veterinary organisation many of whose members work with food animals we feel that concern for the welfare of livestock at the time of slaughter must always be part and parcel of a meat-eating society. Our unwavering opposition to non-stun slaughter is longstanding. We understand that at present no animals are slaughtered in Northern Ireland without first being stunned. In the absence of a functioning devolved government there is no prospect of legal measures to end the practice of non-stun slaughter being introduced. For the present however we would call for the mandatory labelling of meat products with the method of slaughter to enable consumers to exercise their right to choose. The A.V.S.P.N.I. would further call for the import of meat products derived from unstunned animals to be restricted to the quantities required to meet the needs of those religious and ethnic groups whose beliefs require it. A moratorium on the export of animals for slaughter elsewhere without prior stunning is also much to be desired.  The slaughter of animals without prior stunning was outlawed in Denmark in 2014 and in the Flanders province of Belgium this year. The A.V.S.P.N.I. believes it time Northern Ireland followed suit.

For more information on this read this campaign on the BVA Website