More Halal Butchers Look to Improve Sustainability and Animal Welfare | Eater
"Located on a small four-acre property outside Columbus, this licensed halal slaughter operation—run by a Moroccan immigrant and his family—was born informally in 2007 and now performs ritual slaughter several times a week. Animals graze on-site until customers select them for slaughter, which centers on strict religious practices: a swift throat cut with a sharp blade by a practicing Muslim, recitation of the prayer to keep animals calm, avoidance of exposing animals to carcasses or knives beforehand, and complete blood drainage before processing. Many clients come for the direct connection to the sacred ritual and to engage with the local Muslim community, while the operator typically sources livestock from regional live auctions and thus knows little about how animals were raised prior to arrival—an economic and logistical reality he has considered changing but finds currently infeasible without expanding the business; his daughter, studying animal science, hopes to rear animals from birth in the future." - Nicole Rasul
