Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the rise in the amount of non-stun meat being exported; and what estimate have they made of exports of non-stun meat for each of the last five years.

This Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter and would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter. However, this Government respects the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs.

The Food Standards Agency carries out a periodic, one-week Slaughter Sector Survey in England and Wales. In the last five years, two surveys have been carried out in 2022 and 2024. Direct comparison between these surveys is difficult due to the high proportion of responses for the destination of meat in 2024 recorded as ‘unknown’, because that particular survey question is not mandatory.

For sheep, 32% of non-stun meat was recorded as exported in 2022, with 0% recorded as having an unknown destination. In 2024, 3% of non-stun meat from sheep was recorded as exported, with 36% recorded as having an unknown destination.

For meat chickens, the proportion of non-stun meat recorded as exported was 5% in 2022, compared to none recorded as exported in 2024. In both years, a further 1-2% of non-stun meat was recorded as having an unknown destination.

Copies of the 2022 and 2024 Survey Reports are attached. The 2026 Survey will be published later this year.