Halal red meat exports up 17pc

IN
the 2008-09 financial year, Australia exported an estimated 187,671
tonnes (shipped weight) of certified halal red meat products, up more
than 17 percent year-on-year.

The trade is valued at $673 million and represents more than 10pc of the total value of Australia’s red meat exports.

These
figures do not include halal shipments to countries where certification
is not a requirement, such as the US, Japan, the UK and Korea.

Australia’s
certified halal markets span the globe, with the lion’s share being
within the Middle East/North Africa and South East Asian regions.

However,
there are emerging countries such as Bosnia Herzegovina, Kazakhstan,
Ukraine, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Mauritius and the Maldives that also
require halal certification for red meat imports.

With the
Muslim population continuing to increase by nearly 2pc per annum,
representing the most populous religion in the world with about two
billion followers, Australia’s halal red meat exports are also expected
to continue to grow with this increasing demand.