halalfocus.net » Australia

Australia: Moves to implement stunning before report

salama — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:22:08 +0000

A BUSINESS relationship between an Australian and Indonesian company both intimately involved in the live export trade continues to make giant strides in efficiency improvements due to their decision to self-impose codes of practice in relation to animal welfare and other safety issues prior to the Government ban in June.

Kentmaster Australia s operations manager Scott Booth and sales manager Warren Farr, with one of the stunners being supplied to Indonesian abattoirs.

Warren Farr, the sales manager of Brisbane-based stunning equipment supplier Kentmaster Australia, says arrangements were already in place with its Indonesian agent, Pt. Agro Giri Perkasa (AGP), to introduce mandatory preslaughter stunning as a supply requirement well before the Federal Government suspended the trade for a month based on Indonesian abattoir cruelty allegations.

Mr Farr said a supply order for pneumatic non-penetrating stunners was lodged by their Indonesian agent months before the airing of animal cruelty on ABC Television which led to the devastating trade halt. He said the stunners were destined for several Indonesian abattoirs that process Australian cattle, not only to improve animal welfare but to help enhance productivity gains and improve worker safety.

“It was at the time recognised that the benefits to do so weren’t just an animal welfare issue, but also encompassed other aspects such as slaughter floor/staff safety, animal handling, halal, religious and cultural beliefs, lack of refrigeration facilities and meat quality,” he said. “With the announcement of the Farmer report and the Government stating it will introduce all 14 recommendations, a number of interested parties in the supply chain (as stated in the media), are concerned that mandatory preslaughter stunning was not one of the recommendations, and believe that the Government needs to open discussion with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as soon as possible to have this introduced.”

Mr Farr said he was heartened by a report in the September 29 edition of Queensland Country Life that highlighted the growing acceptance of preslaughter stunning within the Indonesian beef supply chain.

Australia: MP claims Halal meat is converting Aussies to Islam

salama — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:19:47 +0000

A Western Australia Liberal MP has claimed Australians are unknowingly being converted to Islam by eating Halal meat.

In a speech to Parliament yesterday, backbencher Luke Simpkins said most Australians did not know that most of the meat they ate came from animals killed in accordance with Muslim law.

“By having Australians unwittingly eating Halal food we are all one step down the path towards the conversion, and that is a step we should only make with full knowledge and one that should not be imposed upon us without us knowing,” Mr Simpkins told Parliament.

“What is happening is wrong. Too often the minorities in this country are looked after without regard to the majority.”

Mr Simpkins said he had carried out an unofficial survey in his northern-suburbs electorate of Cowan and had discovered that most meat at major chains such as Coles or Woolworths had been killed under Halal conditions, but had not been labelled as such.

He tabled a petition demanding that all Halal meat be clearly identified, complaining people could not buy meat for their “Aussie barbecue” without the influence of the “minority religion”.

Mr Simpkins said that Mohammed the prophet of Islam had talked of how the religion could be expanded around the world by getting people to eat Halal meat.

He reportedly said, ‘The non-believers will become Muslims when, amongst other things, they eat the meat that we have slaughtered’. This is one of the key aspects to converting non-believers to Islam,” Mr Simpkins said.

The petition tabled by Mr Simpkins had been organised by the Barnabas Fund, an organisation that supports Christians living in Muslim countries.

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said Opposition Leader Tony Abbott should pull Mr Simpkins into line.

“All members of Parliament should be looking to promote understanding and harmony between religions. Mr Simpkins has done the complete opposite,” he said.

Nick Butterly, Canberra, The West Australian

Australia: Unstunned slaughter to continue in Australia

salama — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:33:52 +0000

By James Nason -Beef Central

Exemptions that allow some Australian abattoirs to conduct ritual slaughters without prior stunning will continue, after the country’s agriculture ministers last week failed to resolve discussions on calls for their withdrawal.

Federal, State and Territory agriculture ministers from Australia and New Zealand met in Melbourne last Friday to discuss a range of issues at the 21st meeting of the Primary Industries Ministerial Council.

On the agenda was calls by animal welfare groups for exemptions that allow 12 Australian abattoirs to slaughter animals without prior stunning on religious and cultural grounds.

In a communique released after its meeting, the council said ministers had reviewed the results of a two-year consultation process with stakeholders and had considered the science involved and the views of religious groups.

However the ministers did not reach an agreement on the issue, and the council said discussions will continue with the religious groups “in order to settle an applicable risk management framework”.

It is understood that up to 250,000 animals are killed without prior stunning in Australia every year under the religious slaughter exemptions.

The RSPCA said stunning was accepted by the Islamic community and Jewish community and no reason existed for un-stunned slaughter to continue.

It accused agriculture ministers of cowardice in not reaching a decision.

“These ministers have at hand the overwhelming evidence that cutting the throats of conscious animals is cruel and causes significant pain and suffering,” RSPCA Australia Scientific Officer, Melina Tensen said.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry argues that slaughtering methods authorised by halacha (shechita) have been an integral part of Jewish life for 3000 years, and that shechita has been accepted in civilised societies for centuries as a humane way of slaughtering livestock for consumption.

Its holds that pre-slaughter stunning of animals renders such animals unfit for Kosher consumption, which would make it impossible to produce Kosher meat and would threaten the viability of the Jewish community.

Attempts at the banning of shecita were historically associated with attempts to delegitimise Jewish religious practices and had long been a manifestation of anti-semitism, the council’s policy states.

Jewish communities were committed to cooperating with animal welfare officers to ensure that Kosher slaughter met the highest industry standards.

Halal slaughter expert Dr Mohammed Lotfi from Australian Halal Food Services told Beef Central earlier this year that the focal point of the Islamic slaughtering process was on the humane treatment of animals.

Dr Lotfi said the use of stunning as an animal welfare measure prior to slaughter was an acceptable procedure under Halal slaughtering techniques. Halal is Arabic for “lawful” or “permissible” and describes what is fit for Muslims to eat, and is based on an interpretation of the Quran, the Muslim scripture.

Under the Australian Government Muslim Slaughter program system, non-penetrating Percussive stunning was used in the Halal slaughter of cattle for all export Muslim markets.

The use of non-penetrating Percussive stunning complied with the Halal requirement that the animal must be alive at the time of slaughter. For this to be determined the animal’s heart must be beating when it is slaughtered.

Dr Lotfi said that under Islamic slaughtering law:

Any form of ill-treatment of animals is prohibited;
Animals should be well-fed and watered;
Only healthy animals can be slaughtered;
Animals should not be slaughtered in front of one another;
Pregnant animals should not be slaughtered;
Calves should not be slaughtered in front of their mothers and vice versa;
Only very sharp knives should be used for the slaughtering;
Slaughtering should be done in one cut and as fast as possible.

Ministers meeting last Friday were also unable to reach a resolution on discussions surrounding the appropriate feeding of bobby calves on the way to slaughter.

“800,000 dairy calves are trucked to slaughter every year and it is inexcusable that we still don’t have a legally enforceable standard to help ensure their welfare,” RSPCA scientific officer Melina Tensen said.

Australia: Ministers to discuss banning religious exemptions from stunning

salama — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 06:15:23 +0000

Australia’s primary industries ministers tomorrow will discuss whether to ban religious exemptions from stunning animals at Australian abattoirs.

Currently, some abattoirs are allowed to slaughter animals without stunning under exemptions for kosher and halal meat.

The slaughterhouses with exemptions are in Victoria, NSW and South Australia.

RSPCA Australia scientific officer Melina Tensen says the Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig should stop the export of non-stunned meat.

“We think the majority of unstunned slaughter is actually destined for export,” she said.

“Even just ruling out the export market would mean that most of the animals currently not being stunned prior to slaughter would actually have to be stunned.”

Senator Ludwig has confirmed that tomorrow’s ministerial meeting in Melbourne will discuss religious exemptions from stunning, but he won’t comment on what might be decided.

Malaysia: USM Receives R&D Sponsorship From Australian Company

salama — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:26:36 +0000

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 22 (Bernama) — Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is the first university in the world to receive a share option worth RM300,000 from an Australian company for research and development (R&D).

Holista Colltech, an Australian Stock Exchange listed company, extended the sponsorship to USM to produce the world’s first halal enzyme production process.

The sponsorship presentation ceremony witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was also attended by Holista Colltech chief executive officer, Datuk Dr M. Rajen and USM Vice-Chancellor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak.

Dr Rajen said the research cooperation with USM was hoped to result in an innovative process to enable plant-based enzymes to produce collagen and halal gelatine.

“We are happy to be able to support the growth of the country’s biotechnology sector and believe that it can further help the industry,” he told reporters.

Holista Colltech is a research-driven biotechnology company that produces first class natural material and health products.

– BERNAMA

Australia: Yes We Can

salama — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:45:12 +0000

Sydney’s The Jewish House has launched its annual drive to collect food for the needy with a record 25 Coles Supermarkets participating across Sydney…and has introduced a new parter, the al-Ghazzali Centre.

Afroz Ali, Rabbi Mendel Kastel and Coles’ Fernando pic: Henry benjamin

The Jewish House’s CEO Rabbi Mendel Kastel told J-Wire: “The Centre is very enthusiastic about their involvement. We will also have involvement in the project from Visy, Fairfax and the ANZ Bank. The program used to run for a week to 10 days but Coles have agreed, given its past success, to extend it to three weeks.” The program already works with the Reverend Bill Crews’ Exodus project.

The “Yes We Can” campaign encourages shoppers to buy an extra can of food and drop it into boxes at the checkouts. The food is brought to a central warehouse where it is distributed to those in need. Both The Jewish House and the al-Ghazzali Centre will provide volunteers to man the check-out areas to encourage shoppers to participate.

The founder and president of Lakemba’s al-Ghazzali Centre, Afroz Ali, told J-Wire: “Our centre has three objectives: education, inter-faith projects and active participations in projects like this…especially on an inter-religious basis. We run the Halal food bank as there is a rising number of needy Muslims in the lower social-economic areas. Halal has the same added costs as Kosher over regular food prices. Many cannot afford Halal food and are compelled to follow a vegetarian diet. We work with Barnardo’s, and the Rev Bill Crews’ Exodus project. This ‘Yes We Can’ project with Rabbi Kastel will enable us to get more to the needy.”

He added that the centre is not a mosque and has no membership. It deals with cases on a need-be basis…and offers assistance to the needy irrespective of their religion.

Afroz Ali told J-Wire that he had worked previously on projects with Rabbi Zalman Kastel and with the Emanuel Synagogue. He said that within the Muslim community there is a greater awareness of the inter-faith work being carried out.

The expansion will expose The Jewish House’s drive to feed the needy in areas of Sydney where it has not operated before and where it is not known.

Rabbi Kastel told J-Wire that there are Kosher sections in about half the stores.

The campaign will finish shortly before Rosh Hashana giving the Jewish House time to distribute food to needy members of the Jewish community.

Coles operate Halal sections in supermarkets in areas with a large Muslim population.

Halal Beauty – The Next steps

salama — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:18:02 +0000

By Amanda Foxton-Hill for SpecialChem

Being able to choose Halal when it comes to cosmetic purchases is still a relatively new concept with the vast majority of brands yet to celebrate their fifth birthday. However, with the worlds Muslim population set to grow from the present 23% to around 26.4% over the next twenty years (Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life) it looks like this is one section that has plenty more growing to do.

Last year (Halal Cosmetics – A New Horizon) I took a look at the science behind Halal cosmetics in a bid to understand and help communicate this very specific set of requirements to the wider cosmetic industry and its customers. The main points being:

No alcohol (Ethanol) wherever possible. Some Muslims are happy to accept alcohol as an integral part of a fragrance product as these products can be applied to clothing and as such are unlikely to permeate the body. However, alcohol in general skin-care is less accepted and many Halal brands use alcohol (ethanol) free as a selling point.
No Pork Derivatives. Glycerine, gelatine, collagen, Keratin and Elastin are the main culprits here. While much of the glycerine used in cosmetics these days is vegetable derived (usually a bi-product of palm oil production) some meat-derived glycerine still makes it into the cosmetics market. This is a no-go for Halal brand.
No animal derived ingredients. This takes the above statement one step further and should include ingredients that while not animal derived themselves may have been prepared in animal-derived media (such as petri dishes). This also brings in the ingredients Hyaluronic acid, squalane, Chitin and Chitosan although again, due to a general dislike of animal derived ingredients these are now available as non-animal derived alternatives.

While this looks like it could be adhered to quite easily on the surface, the supply chain traceability required of Halal cosmetics and the attention to the detail of the preparation of each ingredient make for quite a challenge.

Take GM crops for example, in December 2010 a conference held in Penang, Malaysia (The International Workshop for Islamic Scholars “Agri-biotechnology: Sharia Compliance” agreed that GM crops could be Halal just so long as the ingredients used to develop them are from Halal sources. This position has since been fiercely debated especially by UK based Green group “The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences” who have concerns about the way GM crops undermine God’s creation and can potentially damage the surrounding ecosystem. So to date, GM is officially ‘in’ although the market seems to be opting out.

But this challenge of scientific and marketing complexity is being met by many entrepreneurial spirits who are rising to the challenge and filing this developing gap in the market.

Saaf Pure Skincare based in the UK is one of the global success stories and now sell in over thirteen countries. Having not spoken directly to Saaf I can only report on what I see on their website and from there I see a brand that complies not only with Halal certification but also with Organic, Cruelty-Free and Vegan standards. In addition the companies are vocal about their formulations being 100% natural, vegetarian, alcohol-free, non-irradiated and free from Genetically Modified Organisms. They also remind the consumer that their products are only tested on willing humans and contain only ingredients needed to fulfill the products function – no fillers, no added perfume. If this Halal brand is setting the benchmark then the buzz word for the segment is ‘Purity’.

Other Internationally recognised brands meeting the Halal requirements are the Australian-made Inika Minerals who have just broken the back of the UK market to become one of Australia’s most successful Organic make-up exports, Canadian based One-Pure Cosmetics with their sophisticated anti-ageing skincare range and UK based Hussana with their low-priced skin and hair care options.

At a local level in Malaysia, the cosmetic/Natural health market has seen a number of Halal breakthroughs in terms of producing neutriceutical beauty products that are gelatine free, anti-bacterial mouthwashes that are alcohol-free and pharmaceutical base creams that are guaranteed to be free from animal derivatives. Again, it is quite possible that these products are already available in the wider market but the emphasis on fulfilling the ethical and practical (paper trail) requirements of the Halal market combine to make these developments significant.

So far it looks like Halal cosmetics fit very neatly (at least on a scientific level) alongside other Natural, Environmentally conscious, pure and animal-testing free cosmetic ranges. So do we need Halal personal care?

To answer that we need to think more about the lifestyle of the people for whom these products are aimed.

While not all Muslim women cover their hair, for those that do there are practical implications. The hair can become more greasy, lank and hard to manage. These facts have not gone un-noticed and have been picked up on by global hair-care giant Unilever who have just launched an advertising campaign aimed at hijab wearing women. Their new Sunsilk formulation promises to help revitalize the scalp of hijab wearers with natural lime while gently addressing greasiness and dandruff made worse by religious observance. Their tag line “the first shampoo for covered hair” is as smart as it is true – build the need, fill the need.

Other uniquely Muslim requirements include products that are pure and clean enough, without any perfumed smell, to be used during the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca. During this time it is essential that cleanliness and personal hygiene are not confused with a celebration of objectified beauty. Keeping it simple is the key. The same goes for daily prayer rituals which require the wudu or ritual cleaning to take place before prayer can begin. As far as cosmetic choices go, this makes the use of hard-to-remove or semi-permanent products most inconvenient.

So, to sum up, it would seem that the science that supports the Halal ethos is as well set as any other certification process. There are some areas for further clarification and discussion (such as GMO) but a general agreement on direction and interpretation has been reached. However, when it comes to translating that into lifestyle-based solutions there still seems room for innovation. Muslim men, women and children want to buy products that tick not just the practical but also the emotional box, they want to feel a connection, they want to see themselves in the product, and they want to be truly represented. For me, the future success of Halal cosmetic has less to do with the science and more to do with winning the hearts and minds of this diverse and ethical consumer group. As the best way to do that is to listen, I think the time has come to pull up a chair, put on the kettle and start to get to know our Muslim friends and neighbours.

Australia: Call for meat slaughter method labelling

salama — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:27:26 +0000

AUSTRALIAN meat should be labelled according to the slaughtering techniques, a Liberal senator has told parliament.

South Australian senator Corey Bernardi today told the Senate that many people had been appalled by footage of Australian cattle being processed at Indonesian slaughterhouses.

Some might have ethical problems with eating meat slaughtered according to religious rituals in Australia such as Halal or Kosher meat.

Senator Bernardi said he wanted labels on packaging to explain whether meat had been slaughtered according to rituals and whether stun guns were used.

“(Consumers) are not made aware of the method of killing,” he said.

Senator Bernardi said the unwitting consumer could potentially eat meat subjected to religious rituals without knowing.

He said he had spoken to church leaders about the idea and they had not objected.

Opinion: Ending cruelty against animals has its price

salama — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:49:06 +0000

By Harry Bhaskara, Brisbane, Australia

The Australian government has lifted its month-long livestock export ban to Indonesia but shipments will not start to pick up again until October.

The ban was initially imposed for six months to pacify public outrage following the footage of horrendous cruelty in 11 Indonesian slaughterhouses broadcast here late May. In the footage, gentle Brahmanian steers were kicked and beaten, their eyes gouged and throats hacked at with dull knives.

“Never in my life have I seen or imagined anything as frightful as the slaughtering of Australian cattle in Indonesia as shown on the ABC,” a reader wrote to The Australian.

“Talkback radio in Sydney this morning boiled over with fury,” a blogger commented a day after the broadcast.

Taxpayers know that their government spends millions of dollars on aid to Indonesia — about US$560 million this year alone — including funding to improve slaughterhouses. They might have felt that Indonesia bites the hand that feeds it.

Now that the ban has been lifted, credit is due to government officials of both countries who have thwarted a more serious diplomatic rift.

The Indonesian government did not make good on its word to take Australia to the World Trade Organization or to close its doors to cattle exporters, while the Australian government had the courage to back down also.

Indonesia seemed to realize that the knee-jerk response by Australia was taken under fierce public pressure.

But the damage has been done. Australian farmers were hurt so badly that some put their ranches up for sale. Others threatened to slaughter their stock. The Gillard government doled out millions of dollars to lessen the huge losses sustained by the farmers.

Thousands of people in both countries have lost their jobs and 11,000 cattle were left stranded in the Northern Territory.

The ban was a punishment to Indonesian consumers for the wrong committed by some slaughterhouses. It was a punishment to professional Australian cattle producers who did nothing wrong.

A farmer said the ban was as if there was a decision to ban all cars on the road after it emerged that “3,000 people were killed” in a year.

Animal welfare activists here are not happy with the lifting of the ban as they had aimed for a permanent ban. Never mind if slaughtering is the last link in the chain of cruelty inflicted by man on animals. What about the hundreds of cattle dying at sea every year during shipment?

Despite official assurances, people in some Indonesian regions have been deprived of beef supplies as imports of 550,000 heads of cattle per year were disrupted.

It was akin to the sudden drop in vegetable production in Queensland after cyclone Yasi and ensuing floods devastated vast tracts of agricultural land earlier this year.

Imported cattle make up about one-third of Indonesia’s beef consumption.

A less tangible but significant effect is the notion of violence slipping into the Australian psyche, adding to a list of vice that includes bombings, riots and people smuggling.

Often overlooked in the debate was the fact that the majority of Indonesians were as shocked as Australians in learning about the horrendous killing of animals. Australians tend to tar all Indonesians with the same brush: as ignorant, barbarian and poor.

But cruelty against animals is not restricted to poor countries. More than 277,000 complaints of animal cruelty were reported between 2005 and last year in Australia, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

On the other hand, there are people in poor countries who have the dignity to stun animals before killing them.

The reaction here underscores a less than accurate perception of Indonesia. Australians are not to blame for it, as they are continuously fed negative news about corruption, terrorism and communal conflicts in Indonesia.

Violent incidents in the past do not necessarily translate that an entire people have violent attitudes, for the simple reason that they often became victims of violence themselves.

If anything, the Muslim community has been the most grateful recipient of these revelations, as they learned that they had not been eating halal meat all this time.

Halal killings advocate minimal pain be inflicted upon animals and this is the strongest reason why the government should stop animal cruelty in the country’s 500 slaughterhouses.

On the other side of the ledger, Indonesians may be forgiven for thinking that the public outrage over animal cruelty was fiercer than the outrage over refugees being killed at sea. Still, it is regrettable that another country should point out this evil in Indonesia, a negligence that could send the wrong message, namely that the people here condone animal cruelty.

The ball is now in the hands of the Indonesian Meat Producers and Feedlot Association who will work together with government officials from both countries, as well as the Meat and Livestock Australia to ensure best practices in Indonesian slaughterhouses.

Holding the high moral ground turns out to have a high price; in this case, Australia’s annual $300 million livestock export to Indonesia. When emotions runs high you have to be prepared to pay for it. Otherwise, forget it.

The writer is a journalist.

Indonesia to issue import permits for 180,000 cattle

salama — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:04:46 +0000

Tom Allard

July 9, 2011

INDONESIA has announced it will issue permits for the importation of 180,000 cattle and foreshadowed a campaign to upgrade the standards of its slaughterhouses.

The release of the permits for so many beasts just two days after Australia lifted its month-long suspension of the live cattle trade was welcomed by industry figures and surprised some insiders with its speed.

The suspension of the trade, worth $320 million last year, was prompted by disturbing footage obtained by activist group Animals Australia showing Australian cattle being mistreated in Indonesian abattoirs.

”We will improve all of our abattoirs,” said Indonesia’s Co-ordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Hatta Rajasa at a joint press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday.

”We, of course, would welcome the use of new devices that meet the halal standard. This is what we emphasised.” The comments suggest that Indonesia is prepared to allow a new influx of stun guns into its abattoirs, as long as they are halal.

That is, they don’t actually kill the cattle but render them unconscious before they are killed by a knife to the throat.

Mr Rudd welcomed the issuing of the import permits for 180,000 cattle. However, the quota will not be filled entirely with beasts from Australia. Indonesian importers have been actively looking for other countries to supply them with cattle since the ban was in place.

Mr Hatta played down any suggestions there had been a serious rupture in ties between the two nations. ”The bilateral relationship of two countries has ups and downs, just like a love story. But the spirit is that both countries will always stay together,” he said.

Under Australia’s new regime, export permits will be issued only to Australian transport ships that can prove the cattle will be sent to abattoirs that meet world standards and can be monitored closely.

Australia believes there are 25 abattoirs in Indonesia that meet world standards, although local importers believe the number could be as high as 35.

International animal welfare standards do not require that cattle be immobilised with stun guns before they are killed. Fewer than 10 Indonesian abattoirs use stun guns.

Following the issuing of the import permits and the end of Australia’s ban, major exporter Elders will likely begin bringing cattle to Indonesia on August 1.

However, other companies will take longer to obtain the necessary independent audit and organise the paperwork.