‘culture of secrecy’ over serving halal meat in schools
COUNCIL chiefs in Kirklees have been accused of a ‘culture of secrecy’ over the serving of halal meat in schools.
The authority continues to reject requests to reveal details of which of its schools receive halal meat procured via non-stunned slaughter.
Amidst a bad-tempered exchange in Huddersfield Town Hall, when critics of the council’s policy were accused of using animal welfare as a tool to stir up racial hatred, council leader Shabir Pandor shut down the debate.
He said the moral outrage demonstrated by anti-halal campaigners was ‘politically motivated’ and added: “I cannot commit myself or my cabinet to review this policy. The answer has to be no.”
But the row has been resurrected after Aleks Lukic, whose online petition calling for all meat served in the borough’s schools to be stunned before slaughter was signed by more than 7,000 people, said the council had admitted mishandling a Freedom of Information request.
Mr Lukic said the council’s head of legal services, John Chapman, admitted that the authority had ‘wrongly categorised’ the request for a list and given an invalid reason when rejecting it.
The council is sticking by its decision not to release the list of schools to which it provides a catering service and which receive non-stunned halal meat.
A council spokesman said: “Although it is correct the wrong legislation was quoted in reply to Mr Lukic’s query to explain why we could not comply with his request, it did not change the fact it is a list Kirklees Council does not hold and therefore we could not supply at the time.”
Previously the council’s Strategic Director, Economy and Infrastructure, Karl Battersby, said it would not be ‘appropriate’ to disclose the names of schools with a halal provision.
Mr Lukic said that despite upholding the review, Mr Chapman claimed that the names of schools involved were ‘reasonably accessible by other means’.
Kirklees Council does publish school menus on its website, but these do not provide information on the method of slaughter used.
Mr Lukic said: “Local journalists and I have been waiting for this information since last November, and the law is clear that the council is required to provide a list of schools as has been requested.
“Kirklees Council does not publish any information whatsoever on the method of slaughter used to produce the meat supplied by the catering service, so Mr Chapman’s explanation does not make any sense.
“I am making a formal appeal to the Information Commissioner because thousands of local families are gravely concerned about the council’s use of meat from non-stun slaughter, and they deserve to be properly informed about the meat being served in their schools.”
Batley West independent candidate Paul Halloran has also challenged the council’s refusal to release the list.
He said: “I am very concerned about the culture of secrecy in Kirklees surrounding this issue.
“Kirklees Council should release the list of schools this affects and inform parents without further delay so they are able to make an informed choice as to whether they wish their children to be fed non-stunned religiously slaughtered meat.”
The council was prompted to outline its position following an FoI request by the campaign group National Secular Society (NSS), which aims to reduce the role of religion on state education.
Responding to the latest issue, NSS spokesman Chris Sloggett said: “Kirklees Council is continuing to obfuscate rather than fronting up with residents about the impact of its policy of supplying non-stun meat to schools.
“Many parents have very reasonable objections to having non-stun meat imposed upon their children.
“The council should respect this fact and make clear to them where this meat is being served so they can make an informed choice to avoid it.”
Thousands of local families are concerned about the council’s use of meat from non-stun
slaughter