It's not just the red meat though Azz, don't forget about the rest - chickens are fantastic individuals too (not that I'm biased or anything )

There have been several occasions since I became a vegetarian when I have imagined what it would be like to eat animals again but the more I think about the actual process, the more it puts me off. Max tonight will be tucking into his organic British beef (it lived a good life and died a humane death) and there will be a big part of me that thinks 'lucky boy!' but I do find the whole subject very sad, particularly those animals that lead miserable existences before dying a barbaric death

Even when considering free range, look at the recent waitrose free range duck scandal and the freaks of nature at the farm who used them as footballs How many people thought they were eating animals that have lived well and yet nothing could be further than the truth

Azz, what has been or may still be done for all I know in Uruguay or any other Country, is not something that either I or anyone anywhere else should be held responsible for, and instances such as those are not what Shechita [or Halal] is supposed to be.

But there are rogues in every situation, in every Country, and the blame is on the rogues, not on all others who happen to be of the same nationality, race or religion.

Please believe me in what I say. I am not saying that EVERYthing regarding shechita is or was or will ever be 100% as it should be, because nobody can guarantee that. Neither is everything regarding Halal or non-Kasher/non Halal slaughtering, because there are and always will be rogues. In every walk of life there are rogues, because if not why are prisons necessary?

I have seen shechita for myself and was satisfied with what I saw.

I have also seen at first hand man's inhumanity to other men, only in that case it was inhumanity to other men, women, and children, when a bus was blown up outside my office window.

You see bad things happen. To innocent animals and to innocent people, and yes I do know that my Country, as with so many others, has blood on her hands.

I am not a vegetarian and I do not intend giving up eating meat. But that does not mean that I condone cruelty in any shape or form.

Life - all life - should be valued and treated with respect.

Malka

Yet another great post. Well placed.

Good post, well written.

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Just out of curiosity here's a hypothetical situation for those who do not see a problem with unstunned halal meat. If your pet was terminally ill and you had the choice of taking it to the vets to be pts or a qualified slaughter person slitting its throat without stunning it, assuming that there was no legal reason that you could not chose either option, which option would you choose and why? Just curious

I would prefer its throat to be slit in situ to taking it to the vets where it could be in its home surroundings, amongst nature where they preferred to be and as relaxed as possible where they had not previous negative experiences as all animals have at the vets, even if they only get jabbed.

But some vets do home visits for pts. If your vet would do that, would you still choose having his / her throat slit over a traditional pts?.

But that was not the question you asked, was it?!

Its a no brainier for me.......... the animal would be taken to the vet to be humanly PTS.

The thought of beign given such a choice and choosing a slaughter man to come to my home and slit my pets throat.....horrifies me.

My god, I am just trying to imagine when we had to have Bandit pts.. I was lucky the vet came to our home, but if he could not have got there, I would have taken him to the surgery........... its fills me with revulsion to think I would have chosen someone to come to my home and slit his throat while he was laying in his bed

I used to be present when horses were shot at home and this would be my preferred method if I had a choice.