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NZ Meat Trade To Indonesia Under Threat

News From : DagangHalal.com (08 Jun 2009)

Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry says it has evaluated halal certifying bodies in New Zealand and recognises none of them.

The New Zealand Herald newspaper reports the move is threatening millions of dollars worth of meat exports from New Zealand.

It says Indonesia has blocked meat shipments and set a deadline of October 1 for New Zealand to fix the halal certification at the 60 meatworks listed to export to New Zealand’s largest regional Muslim near-neighbour.

Earlier, reports Geoff Thompson from Jakarta, Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister had reportedly said Australian beef certifying bodies must meet new Islamic halal guidelines or Australian beef imports will be banned.

Approved by clerics

But Indonesia’s council of clerics, which decides proper halal practices, says that all of Australia’s certifying bodies have been approved.

Indonesia’s state-owned news agency, Antara, reported the Minister said Australian halal certifying bodies had to meet new standards set by the Indonesian Islamic clerics council, known as the MUI.

But the deputy director of the MUI’s Food, Drug and Cosmetics Division, Lukmanul Hakim says that while three Australian halal certifiers had been suspended, all eight have now been approved.

Source:Radio Australia News

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