What is halhal?

Goats are gentle and non-aggressive creatures, they are intelligent and inquisitive and vegetarian.  Their diet consists of herbs, leaves, grasses, twigs and grain.   They make wonderful companion friends and will follow you about and always want to be with you.   A mother goat is devoted to her kids and will maintain ties with them for all of her life.   The goat is a social animal and goat friendships and family groupings are lifelong.

We have been rescuing goats for over 35 years.   Our ongoing aim is to provide information about these amazing creatures on whom many people depend, especially in the third world.  Goats milk is easy to digest and is a lifesaver when there is no other sustenance or cow’s milk cannot be tolerated.

A goat can subsist and provide milk in a habitat that many other domestic animals are unable to thrive in.   She will, if sufficient food is available, make enough milk to rear her kids and some to spare for the household.

What has all this to do with halhal meat?    Most people don’t know that halhal describes ritually slaughtered meat.  It’s a prescribed method (under Islam Law) of slaughtering all animals excluding fish and most sea-life per Islamic law. This method of slaughtering animals consists of using a well sharpened knife to make a swift, deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, wind pipe and jugular veins but leaves the spinal cord intact.   The animal isn’t stunned first.

Many thousands of goats are killed in this way every week in this country.   They are sold at markets and go to be ritually slaughtered.   It is legal to do this in the U.K.

Halhal meat products are sold in supermarkets, at Meadowhall even.   Some baby food is halhal and described as such in the ingredient list.

Many people don’t know what halhal means.   What about asking your supermarkets if  the meat on the meat counter and in the freezers is guaranteed not to be halhal?  Is the meat they sell from a humanely slaughtered (not halhal) source?   It would be nice to know and we’d be interested to know their response.

Better still – go vegetarian!  Apart from ensuring that no animal will suffer, it’s the healthy option.