Off with their heads, halal meat from the Basel region
Many Muslims will only eat Halal meat. The animals have to be slaughtered following the Islamic method, which includes invoking God’s name in a blessing. The Sila Meat Processing Plant in Buckten (Canton Baselland), which slaughtered 150 tons of mutton last year, specializes in this segment. The Muslim butcher stands on a platform and slits the sheep’s throat. Blood flows and a dedication to honor Allah is spoken. Then, it’s time for the next animal. Halal is an Arabic word and literally mans “lawful”. Devout Muslims have to follow Islamic dietary restrictions, according to which pork meat and blood are forbidden. For other meat – lamb or mutton, for instance – to be Halal certified, the slaughtering has to occur in accordance with the Islamic method. The most important rule: the animals have to be slaughtered by means of sticking and bleeding. The controversial practice of shechita – slaughter without pre-stunning – was banned in Switzerland in 1893. The bleeding to death of animals is only allowed if the animals are stunned; in Buckten this is done by electric shock. Company director Adrian Lüscher took over the slaughterhouse six years ago, following bankruptcy, and manages it together with his Turkish business partner. A sympathizer of the Swiss People’s Party, by his own definition, Lüscher views the slaughterhouse as a lucrative business: from the purchase of the animals on the cattle market to the sale, the company is in charge of all steps of the value chain. Following the growth of the Muslim population and an increase of visitors from Arab countries, Lüscher predicts that demand is set to keep on rising.
