Ref. 29773-23THE spread of mad cow disease could have been prevented if animals were still slaughtered by religious methods, according to a leading Swindon doctor.

Dr Adel Abbas, consultant microbiologist at Swindon's Great Western Hospital, said modern ways of killing cattle using a bullet through the head scattered the animal's brain to other organs in the body.

He said the halal cut, when animals are slaughtered by the cut-throat method, is more humane and does not spread infection.

Halal, which actually means "permitted" in Arabic, as opposed to "haram" meaning "not permitted," had for the most part been abandoned in the UK in the 1960s.

His research, which is backed by scientific evidence, was presented to a 100-strong audience at the GWH, in response to consultations by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standards Agency and the Department of Health.

Dr Abbas said: "The lecture is the religious and scientific response to the issues these consultations have highlighted.

"The Bible, The Torah and The Koran all set out that we should not eat animals that have been dedicated to idols, or blood, or that have been strangulated.

"The New Testament states this in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15, verses 20 and 29. So all three religions are united in this.

"Using the modern captive bolt stunning methods means that people don't know if they are eating brain in their beef."

He said that EEG experiments showed cows feel no pain when their throats are cut but the ensuing reflex action causes convulsions and rapid heartbeat, thus emptying the body of blood.

"When they are shot, animals do not convulse and the blood remains in the body," he said.

"Deviating from the religious principles has resulted in BSE in cows, which has been transferred to humans as variant CJD.

"This cost the British Government £38billion between 1990 and 1998 in animal waste."

BSE, or mad cow disease, arose after cows were fed the remains of animal tissue.

Dr Abbas demonstrated this in his lecture with the graphic of a cow's body with a lion's head.

He said holy books state animals should be allowed to pasture normally.

Dr Abbas added: "Two weeks ago the Secretary of State banned people who had received blood transfusions from later donating blood due to the health risks. It is a serious thing.

"Another worry is that chickens in factories in Holland are injected with water and proteins from pigs and cattle in a bid to make them bigger and more profitable.

"People who may only be permitted to eat chicken on religious grounds are, in effect, eating traces of other meats.

"It is shocking but the Government is taking action to prevent these imports."

Dr Abbas' research will now be made into a DVD and presented to Government ministers, which will help in the production of a document on food safety standards.

Alex Emery