# Halal Food & Butchers in Paphos



## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

Evening all,

Looks like my sister may well end up coming out to Cyprus to join me. 

She is a muslim so therefore I am looking into the availability of Halal Food and Halal Meat at the Butchers in/around Paphos.

Also, I know there is one mosque in Paphos but according to other accounts its closed, though these seem to be out of date. Anyone got up to date info?

Zach


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## mdekkers (Jul 3, 2013)

There is a Halah shop in the sidestreet next to the big Papantoniou

Martijn :ranger:


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## expatme (Dec 4, 2013)

There is a MOSQUE still in use in Paphos. It is down town at the back of Debenhams with a large car park in front of it. It does not look like a typical Mosque.


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

Perfect. Thank you


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## die7 (Nov 6, 2012)

My hope was -up to now- that this barbaric killing of animals - at least this- does not happen in Cyprus.


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## mdekkers (Jul 3, 2013)

die7 said:


> My hope was -up to now- that this barbaric killing of animals - at least this- does not happen in Cyprus.


eh?

Martijn :ranger:


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## expatme (Dec 4, 2013)

zach21uk said:


> Perfect. Thank you


By the way the Mosque has been recently modernised/up dated.


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

expatme said:


> By the way the Mosque has been recently modernised/up dated.


Thanks, I'll let her know.


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

mdekkers said:


> eh?
> 
> Martijn :ranger:


die7 is operating under the widespread mistaken impression that the Islamic "Halal" method of slaughtering livestock is inhumane.

Halal Slaughter involves slaughtering livestock using a special kind of knife, utilizing a single swipe across the animals throat, killing it almost instantly.

The more mainstream method of killing livestock involves electrocution. The animal is first stunned into unconsciousness. This often takes several minutes or longer to achieve given the size of the animal. After the animal is electrocuted into unconsciousness, it is then slaughtered, again with knifes. 

It is argued that the halal method causes the animal less suffering due to the fact that it dies almost instantly in one single swipe, compared to the electrocution > slaughter method which often takes several minutes or longer.

There are obviously proponents and opponents for each method, the key argument of opponents being that the animal "doesn't see it coming" when it is stunned and then killed, whilst the key argument of the proponents is that the animal dies much faster (in mere seconds) and does not suffer in the way that it would being electrocuted for several minutes.

It is also worth noting that in order to be classfied "Halal", the animal has to be brought up a certain way. It should be free range and free of diease. It should be very clean and fed a healthy diet. This compares to the non halal "slaughterhouse" factories that plague the world where animals are not free range, kept in huge factories with dozens of animals stuffed into a single enclosure. These animals are often not fed a healthy diet but something resembling gruel. 

I can provide links to some video material for anyone interested.

NOTE: I am not a Muslim or religious in any way. I respect my sisters beliefs but I do not share them. That being said, I personally consider the Halal method more humane given that the animal dies much faster.

NOTE 2: Please be properly educated before making inflammatory comments such as that die7.


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## Baywatch (Mar 30, 2014)

zach21uk said:


> die7 is operating under the widespread mistaken impression that the Islamic "Halal" method of slaughtering livestock is inhumane.
> 
> Halal Slaughter involves slaughtering livestock using a special kind of knife, utilizing a single swipe across the animals throat, killing it almost instantly.
> 
> ...


One point should be added. Millions of slaughter animals is every year transported by truck across Europe to be slaughtered where it is cheapest. This can mean from Sweden to Italy, from UK to Hungary.

This in my view is inhumane and cruel


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

Yes very good point Baywatch.


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## die7 (Nov 6, 2012)

The fact that other things like the transports of lifestock aso. are also cruel doesn't make it better. My problem with the Halal is that you never know HOW it is made. There are different methods, some are ok and some definitely *not*:

''_The British Veterinary Association (BVA) says it believes “all animals should be effectively stunned before slaughter to improve the welfare of these animals”, while the RSPCA says it causes “unnecessary suffering”.

A report from the FAWC said chicken and turkeys were likely to be conscious for up to 20 seconds after a transverse incision is made across their neck.“Such a large cut will inevitably trigger sensory input to pain centres in the brain,” the council said._''

Does anybody know or ask how the procedure is done at the butcheries who sell Halal meat *HERE*? 
The whole article:
*Halal meat: What is it and why is it so controversial - Food & Drink - Life and Style - The Independent*l

If I talk about animal welfare, I am always interested in the facts in the country I live in, what happens in the rest of the world is never an excuse and does in no way help within a discussion.
So did the Halal butcher in Paphos kill the animals after pre-stunning?? If yes it's ok if not it's barbaric.


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## Baywatch (Mar 30, 2014)

die7 said:


> The fact that other things like the transports of lifestock aso. are also cruel doesn't make it better. My problem with the Halal is that you never know HOW it is made. There are different methods, some are ok and some definitely *not*:
> 
> ''_The British Veterinary Association (BVA) says it believes “all animals should be effectively stunned before slaughter to improve the welfare of these animals”, while the RSPCA says it causes “unnecessary suffering”.
> 
> ...


I can just imagine how it look in Cyprus slaughter houses, after visiting two different chicken slaughter houses outside Paphos


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

Baywatch said:


> One point should be added. Millions of slaughter animals is every year transported by truck across Europe to be slaughtered where it is cheapest. This can mean from Sweden to Italy, from UK to Hungary.
> 
> This in my view is inhumane and cruel


Quite so. Some years ago I was discussing with one of my customers who is one of the finest market farmers in Hampshire as to why his meat tasted so much better. Apart from the way the animals were kept and fed he explained that they were killed locally and avoided a long journey to an abattoir which induces stress in the animals and affects the quality of the meat.

Pete


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## mdekkers (Jul 3, 2013)

PeteandSylv said:


> Quite so. Some years ago I was discussing with one of my customers who is one of the finest market farmers in Hampshire as to why his meat tasted so much better. Apart from the way the animals were kept and fed he explained that they were killed locally and avoided a long journey to an abattoir which induces stress in the animals and affects the quality of the meat.
> 
> Pete


When in the UK, I used to buy our meat exclusively from Donald Russell's in Scotland for exactly the same reasons. We preferred to buy less meat of higher quality. 

Martijn :ranger:


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## mdekkers (Jul 3, 2013)

zach21uk said:


> die7 is operating under the widespread mistaken impression that the Islamic "Halal" method of slaughtering livestock is inhumane.


I was aware  just wanted to start the debate. As a committed carnivore (I believe meat covers all foodgroups - the food eats greens, so I am covered..) I do believe that the PETA's of this world have gone a bit over the edge. "Kill all the cats because cats kill animals" etc. is pretty ridiculous. In the same line, I believe that the way we slaughter animals, on the whole, is significantly more "humane" than any other animal on the planet. The Great White doesn't first stun the seal before it becomes lunch. 

Martijn :ranger:


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

PeteandSylv said:


> Quite so. Some years ago I was discussing with one of my customers who is one of the finest market farmers in Hampshire as to why his meat tasted so much better. Apart from the way the animals were kept and fed he explained that they were killed locally and avoided a long journey to an abattoir which induces stress in the animals and affects the quality of the meat.
> 
> Pete


Totally agree.

Around 20 years ago, as part of a Quartermaster course I attended, we were taken to the last remaining Army abattoir in the UK. This was maintained and run, not to supply the Armed Forces with it's meat, but to teach Army butchers how to slaughter and prepare meat in the event of our food not being delivered in boxes and plastic packaging daily! 

The biggest difference between this abattoir and a commercial one, is that it made provision for bedding down animals for the night, and feeding them. This of course, would be seen as not viable in the commercial world, and I'm sure many others would think it bizarre to settle an animal in this way before slaughter.

However, the reason it was done was that animals are extremely stressed and frightened after a long journey and this makes them more relaxed and settled which in turn makes their meat more tender. The Army abattoir is clearly aimed towards pigs, sheep and cattle rather than poultry, but there is no electrocution involved. A stun gun is used and having seen it, and the process, it is efficient and instant. I have also seen Gurkha soldiers ritually slaughter goats for food with a kukri, using (or at least attempting to use) a single strike. Sometimes it's instant - sometimes it's not. I truly believe that stunning is the most humane method of slaughter.


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

mdekkers said:


> There is a Halah shop in the sidestreet next to the big Papantoniou
> 
> Martijn :ranger:


Martijn,

My sister is here now so we need to go to this Halal shop.

Can you give me a bit more direction? I do not know where Papantoniou is.


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## mdekkers (Jul 3, 2013)

Hey Zach,

Here you go: http://goo.gl/KW9C8m

Good luck!

Martijn :ranger:


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

Thank you. We will go in the morning


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## zach21uk (Jun 26, 2014)

I just wanted to post an update here for any other Muslims that might happen to need this information.

We drove down to the area advised by mdekkers yesterday and found two Halal takeaways on Eleftheriou Venizelou. 

We went into one of them, Armenis (Tel: 26 955 188) and was advised that there is no direct-to-customer Halal butcher in Paphos. The Halal meat in Paphos comes from butchers in Nicosia.

The owner of the takeaway advised that anyone can come in to him and place an order for Halal meat and that he keeps a lot in stock in freezers. If you want fresh, there are certain days and times when you can get fresh.

The pricing was 9 euros for a complete chicken, and 10 euros for a kilogram of lamb meat. 

Here is the precise location on Google Maps:

Armenis: https://www.google.com/maps/dir//34.7806714,32.4257228/@34.7805408,32.4249539,188m/data=!3m1!1e3

There is also a Halal takeaway almost right next to this, at Eleftheriou Venizelou 6. It is called: Bab Alhara and their telephone number is 99 95 59 59.


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