Bid to end suffering of chickens blocked after Muslims complain that it would undermine their rights to slaughter birds according to Islamic rituals

Campaigners have threatened to report ministers to European Commission for not implementing the EU-wide rules

Research that suggests that many birds are still conscious and suffer pain when they are slaughtered

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'

They would have forced many abattoirs to use a more powerful electric shock than they do now to stun chickens before they are killed.

The move follows research that suggests that many birds are still conscious and suffer pain when they are slaughtered, but that higher levels of shock would guarantee they were insensible.

However, Muslim leaders said that the new levels could kill birds before they could be slaughtered, meaning they would no longer be halal.

According to Islamic rituals, the birds have to be alive when their throats are slit so their hearts are still pumping and their blood is properly drained.

For meat to be halal the slaughter must be performed by a male Muslim who precedes slaughter by invoking the name of Allah and then saying three times Allahu akbar. The animal must be slaughtered by cutting the throat, windpipe and the blood vessels in the neck, causing the animal's death without cutting the spinal cord

Halal producers had been planning a judicial review to try to prevent the Government implementing the new laws after the Halal Food Authority, which certifies abattoirs that follow the correct rituals, warned they may be forced to abandon all pre-stunning of chickens.

The Department for Environment halted the new Welfare Of Animals At The Time Of Killing rules on May 19.

A spokesman said last night: ‘We realised that our regulations might have unintended consequences in that they could limit religious freedoms.

'This is a complex area and we need to get it right.’

The spokesman stressed that ‘robust’ existing regulations surrounding welfare remained in place.

British Veterinary Association president Robin Hargreaves, who campaigns for better conditions in abattoirs, said: ‘Failure to implement the new regulations risks a percentage of chickens being ineffectively stunned, thus compromising animal welfare.’

A spokesman for the Compassion in World Farming pressure group said the decision meant thousands of chickens could daily be enduring ‘horrific’ deaths.

Some supermarkets stock halal food as do some restaurants like Subway and Pizza Express

‘It is outrageous for the Government to beat about the bush while chickens are suffering illegal slaughter,’ he added.

Norman Bagley of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, which represents halal producers, said that he welcomed the delay as there was no evidence the present system used in abattoirs was inadequate.

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.’