Muslim leaders have joined the concern expressed over new EU regulations which mean kosher and halal meat will be labelled “meat from slaughter without stunning”.

The European Parliament voted in favour of the amendment to the provision of food information to consumers last month, just two weeks after New Zealand banned the kosher slaughter of animals.

The decision, which only applies to food killed by religious slaughter, was widely condemned by the Jewish community with Henry Grunwald, chairman of Shechita UK, calling it “discriminatory”,

Now, in a joint statement, the rabbis and imams advisory group of the Chief Rabbi’s Office , and the inter-faith organisation, Faith Matters, said: “We support the concept of fair and universal labeling but believe that such an amendment is naked discrimination.

“It singles out religious communities who have been extremely careful to undertake humane food preparation for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.”