Ukip has backed the continuation of religious slaughter in Britain after months of confusion over the party’s stance on the issue.
Its general election manifesto, launched by Nigel Farage in Essex on Wednesday morning, makes clear that kosher meat production would not be banned by the party.
But abattoirs would face new regulations, with Ukip pledging to oversee the training of schochets.
The party’s policy document states: “We can only regain control of animal health and welfare by leaving the EU. Ukip takes both issues seriously and we will insist on formal non-stun training and certification for all religious slaughtermen to ensure the highest standards are adhered to.”
There would also be the introduction of CCTV cameras in every abattoir, to be monitored by the meat hygiene service.
Ukip said it would also back increased labelling of animal products to show where the meat originated, how it was produced and transported, and whether the animal was stunned before slaughter.
The policy announcement comes after an apparent disagreement between the party’s leaders, including Mr Farage, and its national executive committee.
In February the party announced its intention to ban all non-stun slaughter of animals. But within days, Ukip’s agriculture spokesman, Stuart Agnew MEP, told the JC that shechita was an unintended target of the policy change.
"This isn't aimed at you - it's aimed elsewhere - it's aimed at others. You've been caught in the crossfire; collateral damage. You know what I mean," he said.
Deputy leader Paul Nuttall had also attempted to distance the leadership from the decision to ban kosher and halal production, and Mr Farage said he would work to protect the practice.
Shechita UK, which campaigns to protect religious slaughter, said it understood from Ukip party sources that the new regulations would be designed to bring halal slaughter in line with the procedures already governing shechita.
The manifesto also touches on the Middle East conflict. It states: “In the Middle East, Ukip wants to see nations at peace, but acknowledges that sectarianism, fuelled by historical Western involvement, has rendered this all but impossible within a generation. We want to see a peaceful, two-state solution in Israel and the Palestinian territories.”
The policy document also rails against multiculturalism in Britain, claiming it has “led to an alarming fragmentation of British society”.
Shechita UK, which campaigns to protect the practice, said it understood from Ukip sources that the new regulations would be designed to bring halal slaughter in line with the procedures which are already in place for shechita.
