Australia urged to stop slaughtering conscious animals

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been asked to stop the slaughter of conscious animals for halal meat. Photo / Getty Images

The King of Jordan's sister has appealed to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to stop the slaughter of conscious animals for halal meat in Australia.

Princess Alia bint al-Hussein, the sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan, says the ritual is not necessary under Islamic principles, Fairfax newspapers reported on Monday.

She says she has written to Mr Rudd saying that any lowering of any animal welfare standards in Australia for religious reasons would be a blow to the country's reputation.

She also says it would undermine progress in the Middle East, and that Muslims who believed animals could not be stunned before slaughter for halal meat were uneducated about the true teachings of Islam.

- AAP