Esther McVey revives kosher meat labelling bill despite Jewish concerns

Conservative MP Esther McVey has revived plans to make labelling kosher and halal meat compulsory, despite concerns from Jewish campaigners that the proposals unfairly target religious slaughter.

The former cabinet minister has brought the legislation back to Parliament eight months after first proposing it, arguing that shoppers are still being left in the dark about how their meat is produced.

McVey introduced the bill through a Ten Minute Rule motion in the House of Commons on 3 November, a procedure allowing backbench MPs to propose legislation in a short speech. It passed its first reading and is due for a second reading on 15 January 2027.

The Tatton MP says the proposal is intended to improve consumer choice, animal welfare and transparency.

In a post on X on Saturday, she wrote: “Consumers have a right to know what they are eating.”

She added: “At its heart, this is a straightforward proposal built on consumer choice, animal welfare and transparency.”

The MP insisted she was not seeking to ban religious slaughter.

“It is not about banning halal or kosher meat but about the compulsory labelling of it, which is currently only voluntary, so as to ensure consumers know what they are buying.”

The bill would require labels on kosher and halal meat, including products containing it, so shoppers could identify meat prepared according to Jewish or Islamic religious requirements.

The proposal has renewed debate over shechita, the Jewish method of slaughter, which does not permit animals to be stunned beforehand.

British law generally requires animals to be stunned before slaughter but allows exemptions for religious communities. Some halal meat comes from animals that have been stunned, while shechita requires slaughter without pre-stunning.

Responding to the latest proposal, Shechita UK said it supported clear information for shoppers but questioned why McVey was focused on religious slaughter rather than all methods used to kill animals.

“Shechita UK fully supports clear, honest information for consumers. Meat sold as kosher is already clearly labelled,” the organisation told Jewish News

“We have always welcomed an honest, even-handed approach to labelling that specifies all methods of slaughter, not some false binary between ‘stunned’ and ‘unstunned’ that falsely portrays one as good and one as bad.”

The organisation said it had approached McVey to discuss its concerns before both the current bill and an earlier version introduced in February, but had received no response.

“We have approached Ms McVey both before this Bill and its earlier iteration in February to have a conversation with her and share our position, yet both times our requests have gone unanswered,” it said.

Shechita UK also accused the MP of using animal welfare to justify proposals it believes could restrict religious freedom.

“Esther McVey’s Bill is far more concerned with people than animals and seeks to restrict the religious freedoms of people of certain faiths rather than protecting animal welfare.”

The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, meanwhile, has welcomed the renewed parliamentary debate, arguing that shoppers should have clearer information about how animals are slaughtered.

The organisation, which campaigns for mandatory labelling of slaughter methods, said any system should provide information that is “factual and consistent”.

“Parliament should use this opportunity to move towards clear, meaningful and enforceable labelling,” it said.

The Conservative Party has confirmed that McVey is pursuing the legislation independently and that the party is not promoting it.

A spokesperson said: “Esther is a backbench MP and is bringing this bill forward on her own initiative; the party is not involved or promoting it.”

The government has previously said it has no plans to introduce compulsory labelling based on slaughter methods, while recognising the rights of Jewish and Muslim communities to eat meat prepared according to their faith.

McVey’s proposal is a backbench bill, meaning it has no guaranteed government support or parliamentary time. It must pass several further stages before it could become law.

Jewish News has also approached the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council for comment.