Your reactions after council leader defends non-stunned Halal meat in Yorkshire schools

Kirklees Council has defended its policy of serving non-stunned Halal meat in its schools.

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Council Leader Shabir Pandor accused those campaigning for the policy to be reversed of using animal welfare as tool to stir up racial hatred.

He said they were taking advantage of communities and playing with fears on an issue that ran deep.

And in rejecting calls to end the policy he said: “This debate has been generated deliberately on the back of creating divisions, hatred and putting communities against one another."

Read his comments in full on our original report here.

How you reacted to the debate

Emma Roberts said: "Don’t eat animals problem solved"

Daryl Leslie: "The whole meat industry is brutal, if you eat meat stop whining."

Elaine Goddard: "I chose not to eat halal because its killed inhumanely and I truly thought it would be illegal as the law says all must be killed within certain guidelines."

Dryden Cooper said: "Animal rights and Protection organisations campaigned for decades for pre stunning to be made law. Kosher meat was killed at specific abattoirs, Halal should also be only killed at specific premises. Race does not come into it."

Chris Bertram said: "I think all councils should have to publish their meat policy in schools. It should be clear and not hidden. Then people can have their say."

-> LISTED: The Yorkshire restaurants and takeaways serving Halal meat and whyJules Kelly added: "If you eat meat, I really don't know why you get upset at this, all meat is killed, no matter how its done its killed, if you don't like that it's killed for you to eat, then don't eat it... Or shut up with your double standards."

Pauline Heaton: "So by campaigning to end non stun slaughter the BVA and RSPCA are racist and divisive are they councillor Pandor?"

Angela Fearnehough: "This is about animal welfare not racism."

Philip Robinson: "Because killing an animal painfully when there are methods and options to kill it without pain or distress is inhumane?"

Kelly Garlinge: "If you eat meat you have no idea what conditions the animals were kept in before being killed. You have no idea how far they had to travel. How they were killed. I really don’t understand how so many meat eaters can complain about halal when the industry is rife with incidents of disgusting practice whether halal or not.

"If it isn’t racial hatred then it is definitely ignorance and If it is about being given a choice then I am sure the schools involved have a veggie option on offer."

Anne Barr: "Families who care about animal welfare should boycott the meat in these schools. Have something else or take food from home.

"Parents should discuss with children. No one has to have it. Imagine what eating this meat does to the body. All the fear hormones passing into food.

"The idea that people caring about animals are spreading racial hatred is ridiculous and those that say this are ones politically motivated. Compassion for animals automatically leads to compassion for people and vice versa!!"

-> 15 kittens and cats in urgent need of a home in LeedsJeanette Ledbury: "I won't eat halal why should people to expect us to agree to it?"

Richard Jackson: "All halal products should be clearly marked by law."

Mickster Ell "Yep...ban fox hunting, but permit straight up throat slitting without stunning???"

Danielle Mistry: "I’m surprised they’ve found non-stunned halal meat. According to the RSPCA, In the UK, 84 per cent of Halal meat comes from animals which have been stunned before slaughter. But can you really have ‘humane’ murder anyway, really?"

Jenny Lynne Green: "Ban meat Be a vegan none of its humane......good Lord how the hell did we survive before electricity ⚡️ and mass production "

Daz C Cutts: "Now if this article hadn't turned up no one would have said anything."

Si Simpson said: "Halal is the safest and best tasting meat , slaughtered traditionally to avoid the blood clotting and poisoning the meat and flavour."

Matty Towers: "People moan about halal meat but what do you think you have been eating in take away for years"