New laws aimed at reducing the suffering of millions of chickens in abattoirs have been put on hold by the Government after Muslims complained they would undermine their rights to slaughter the birds according to Islamic rituals. To the dismay of animal welfare groups, the laws were unexpectedly delayed just days before they were due to be implemented last month. Senior vets and campaigners said that the delay was ‘outrageous’ and some have now threatened to report ministers to the European Commission for failing to implement  the EU-wide rules. Masood Khwaja, a Muslim food consultant, said: 'In order to meet the religious requirements of halal, light stunning should be done but not enough to kill the animal'
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Campaigners have  threatened to report ministers to European Commission for not implementing the EU-wide rules
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Research that suggests that many birds are still conscious and suffer pain when they are slaughtered
According to @placeholder rituals, the birds have to be alive when their throats are slit so their hearts are still pumping and their blood is properly drained.