UK Halal meat step closer to assurance scheme
UK Halal meat took a step closer to gaining an assurance scheme,
such as the Red Tractor standard, after a meeting between campaigners
and Defra.
Minister for Food and Farming Jim Fitzpatrick MP met with the Efra
Select Committee member David Taylor MP and Halal meat campaigner and
Janan Meat MD Naved Syed to discuss gaining ministerial support for a
Halal assurance scheme.
Syed said: “Having a clean safe and fully traceable supply chain for
Halal meat is the minimum Muslim consumers deserve, as this will see a
parity of standards with non-Halal meats.
“With an increasing number of multiple retailers now wishing to sell Halal meat the issue of assurance is becoming key.
“Equally the issue of assured meat is of growing importance within
the public sector, as many caterers are seeing large rises in Muslim
consumers while being encouraged to purchase Halal meat from local
sources, where information as to how the animals were treated through
to the conditions in which the meat has been produced is scarce.
“For this reason the Minister has now been encouraged by us to
support a reclassification of Halal meat, within guidance from the
Office for Government Commerce given to public sector caterers, from a
Group 4 food (a food without a recognised assurance scheme) to a Group
1 food (a food with a recognised assurance scheme such as the Red
Tractor standard).”
Speaking after the meeting, Syed thanked the Minister for his time
and David Taylor for his ongoing support, but raised the importance of
British Muslim community to be treated equally and ensured that they,
too, have an assured minimum standard for Halal meat similar to the
British Retail Consortium and the Red Tractor scheme in mainstream
retailing.
Syed also advised Fitzpatrick that assured Halal meat was a win/win
situation, which would remove extremist political parties’ pressure
while at the same time generating over £1.25bn for the UK economy,
helping the nation’s farmers.
Commenting on reports of the meeting, Tony Goodger from the
Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board, who has produced a
DVD on the production methods for Halal meat in England on behalf of
Eblex, said: “I am greatly encouraged by the progress Naved has made.
In the next few weeks, we will see a new fully independent assurance
standard for Halal meat launched in the UK and would encourage all
public sector caterers to specify this when buying writing contracts.”
