- James Ferre
The
unique Halal brand that was developed last year by Meat & Livestock
Australia for use in the Middle East red meat market has now gone
global.The brand, which supports the majority of Australian-produced
Halal red meat sold in the Middle East, is now set to appear with
Australian red meat sold in Islamic countries around the world.
MLA’s Middle East regional manager, Ian Ross said the global
expansion of the Halal brand is an important step towards expanding
markets for Australian red meat. “With 28 per cent of the world’s
population being Muslim, and with most of these people living in
countries with growing economies it’s vital the Australian red meat
industry positions itself in the best possible way to supply these
important markets,” Mr Ross said. “The Halal brand shows that the
Australian red meat industry is culturally aware and that we respect
the laws of Islam.”
“Australia is the only country in the world with a globally-endorsed
and certified Halal brand underpinned by government legislation.”
Under Islamic law, for meat to be permissible for consumption, it
must be Halal, or lawful, and animals must be slaughtered by a Muslim
in accordance with the Islamic ‘Shariah’, or law.
The MLA-developed Halal brand appears on retail meat packs and point
of sale and guarantees that the meat has come from an animal that has
been slaughtered according to the strict Islamic Shariah. Under the new
arrangement, Halal meat sent from Australia to Islamic countries is
accompanied by an official government certificate and stamp which is
further endorsed with an authorised Islamic Organisation stamp.
In Australia, the Halal process is regulated through the Australian
Government Authorised Halal Program (AGAHP) by AQIS and is supervised
by independent Islamic organisations.
All Australian Halal meat is labelled as having passed through the
AGAH program and this certification is only allowed to be placed on
meat that has been processed at a registered Halal certified abattoir.
Australia currently exports beef, sheepmeat and goatmeat to over 40
Islamic countries, including Indonesia, which is Australia’s fifth
largest beef export market. It is estimated that there are over 2
billion Muslims around the world and that the market for Halal products
globally is worth $570 billion annually.