From Martin Cave, Rookley:

As we leave the EU, concerns about various aspects of animal welfare are being raised, so it was interesting to see the letter last week (CP, 08-06-18), from Mrs M. Mathews, about the cruelty involved in the long-distance transport of live animals.

My concerns revolve around the issue of the Islamic religious slaughter of animals without pre-stunning — halal.

Parliament will not yet ban this inhumane practice but wholesalers and retailers should clearly mark halal products, though this is not always the case.

A few months ago, I bought a packet of jelly sweets for my grandchildren and I noticed that one of the ingredients listed was ‘beef gelatine (halal)’ in tiny print, but at least marked as such.

I have since purchased jelly sweets from shops across the Island and written to the producers/importers. From the replies I have received, it seems that approx. 50 per cent of beef gelatine in jelly sweets is halal. The irony is that many children buying these sweets must come from the Island’s farming communities and if their families slaughtered their animals without pre-stunning, they would be subject to bans and fines etc.

So until parliament bans halal, jelly sweets marked with the Red Tractor Animal Welfare Assurance mark or containing pork gelatine, seems the best way of avoiding it.