stunning animals before slaughter - different opinions

In EU you have to use stunning methods before slaughtering animals. Source . It's not legal to slaughter animals without stunning them. How does this affect halal slaughter? I know there are difference of opinions about this. I would like to have an answer on these issues: It is halal to eat stunned animals ---------------------------------- The one saying it is halal to eat slaughtered meat where stunning methods has been used before the slaughter. - What if the animals dies when it's stunned? Is it still halal? *(most I know says it's haram)* - Are there difference of opinions which might say that it is halal to eat either if the animal die before the slaughter or not? - How can you determine that the animal died or not died before the slaughter. *(i.e how to determine that it died by being stunned)*? ---------- It is haram to eat stunned animals ---------------------------------- - Why? - Where would you buy your meat? - There are some who buy meat from people who privately slaughter animals without stunning methods (illegally) in EU. **Isn't this against our Islamic principles?** Because as muslims we have to fullfil our contracts. Being a citizen in a country means that you have a personal contract which you should fulfill the rules of. (O you who have believed, fulfill [all] contracts. 5:1) When answering, if you are following a special point of view or madhhab (school of thought), to derive to your answer or following a fatwa or a scholar, please point it out. *Also notice that I am not looking for an answer about that you must say bismillah and that the one slaughtering must be a muslim and so on...*