Growing demand for the supply of halal meat in the UK and exportation means that over 70% of the meat slaughtered is halal although Muslims only make up 5% of the population. To ensure that animal welfare is cared for during the time of slaughter, EU regulations, still adhered to in the UK despite Brexit, require pre-slaughter stunning in all slaughterhouses. 

This is due to the claim that effective stunning causes immediate unconsciousness meaning that an animal cannot experience any pain or distress. Nonetheless, concessions are made for Muslims and Jews allowing non-stun slaughter for religious rites; a practice that animal welfare and veterinary organisations are campaigning to outlaw.

Although much of the halal meat available in the UK has been pre-stunned, the compatibility of pre-stunning with sharia requirements for halal meat has been a point of controversy for Muslim communities.