Ensure Poultry Slaughtering Centres Have Halal Certificates

CAP calls on the government to ensure that all poultry slaughter houses that the poultry supplied to the Muslims should have halal certificates.

This matter is urgent in view of the doubts raised concerning the halal status of method and process of slaughtering chickens in the slaughterhouses in the country. The cleanliness of the centres have also come under wide criticism.

Every time the issue of the halal status of the chickens sold in the market is raised, the same question arises as to who should be responsible for ensuring halal compliance. Authorities claim that it is outside their jurisdiction and that there are no laws on the matter.

There are weakness and deficiencies in the laws that should be applied to ensure that Muslim consume halal chickens. The issue has been long-standing without any effort to rectify the situation. Halal status of food is crucial for Muslims as it touches on their faith.

Recently, a local newspaper exposed that many slaughter houses do not meet the criteria of halal.  This is indeed is very surprising.

The chickens slaughtered in these  centres are distribute widely including wet markets across the country.

The report also revealed that the majority of the slaughter house do not have halal certification and do not bother about hygiene.

Therefore, all users, especially Muslims should avoid buying chickens supplied from slaughter houses that do not have halal certificates and buy chickens only from the slaughter houses with halal certificate. In Islam when there is an element of doubt or syubhah it should be avoided.

The government should immediately enact legislation that gives special powers to the authorities to enforce the law against the slaughter house that do not have halal certification in order to ensure the supply of chickens in the market, especially for Muslim consumers, are guaranteed halal, clean and pure.

There should be one authorities to enforce the laws in order to avoid the “passing the buck” attitude of the authority.

Action should be taken to revoke the license and shut down the slaughter house that do not comply with halal and cleanliness requirement.

Press Statement, 5 March 2014