Cunningham upsets Muslimsand sheep exporters

02 April 1998

Cunningham upsets Muslims
and sheep exporters

JACK CUNNINGHAM, minister of agriculture, came into conflict with sheep exporters after he urged them not to ship live animals to the Continent for a Muslim festival. He is pressing the European Commission to ban shipments.

The British Association of Sheep Exporters accused the ministry of threatening British jobs by trying to appease animal welfarists.

Cunningham is worried about cruelty to the animals, with the risk of them being inexpertly killed without stunning and sometimes with blunt knives.

Muslims are enraged and said the use of blunt knives was illegal in the Islamic world. The Islamic Foundation argued the Halal method of slaughter was more humane than killing after using a stun gun.

• Farmers urged to stop sheep exports, FWi, 20 March – Click here

• The Guardian 02/04/98 page 11