Illegal meat import: Shun non-halal outlets

Posted on June 15, 2011, Wednesday

INTERESTING: Daud (second left) and others reacting to a point raised during the dialogue session of the ‘Halal Livestock Product 2011’ dialogue at the Islamic Information Centre yesterday.

KUCHING: Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Datuk Daud Abdul Rahman has called on Muslims to boycott eateries not certified halal by the Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department (Jais).

This he said was one of the means to curb illegal import of raw meat into the state which had cost the state government about RM216 million in losses.

Speaking at the ‘Halal Livestock Product 2011’ dialogue at the Islamic Information Centre yesterday, Daud disclosed that the illegal import made up almost 30 per cent of the total stock in the state. “The volume of chicken wings in Sarawak is above the volume produced by legal vendors. These excess numbers are illegally imported meat that goes under the noses of the state Veterinary Department as well as the state Customs,” said Daud, naming one of the popular meat products imported illegally into the state.

Daud, who is also Tupong assemblyman, said boycotting eateries without halal certification would lead to the eradication of illegal smuggling of raw meat into the state. He also said that it would not be a surprise if the losses go beyond the RM216 million mark. “When an outlet has a halal certification, the meat that they cook is from a verified source and definitely not smuggled in,” he added.

Daud also assured that Jais had carried out periodic spot checks on eateries and slaughter houses to ensure that they follow the halal certification requirements. He also said that without halal certification end users would not know the source of the meat, putting into question the meat’s hygiene, quality and halal verification.

On the unethical importers who are profit-driven, Daud said it was hard for the authorities to nab and control them due to the vastness of the state with an open access to the sea from almost every major area.

He also stressed that among the drawbacks for the authorities to detect illegal smuggling was the long boundary line between Sarawak and its neighbouring country. Daud also said if found guilty of smuggling meat, offenders could be charged and fined not more than RM50,000 or sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

According to him, it is actually easy for eateries to obtain halal certification if they abide by the requirements regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. He also hoped that the dialogue organised by Jais in collaboration with the Veterinary Department, Agriculture Department and the Sarawak Livestock Association would be a key event to create awareness on how to eradicate illegal smuggling of meat into the state.

Attended by more than fifty participants, the dialogue touched on four working papers on Halal Certification, Laws and Regulations for Animal and Fish Quarantine Services, Sarawak Poultry Industry: Present Challenge and Future Prospects and Preparation of Halal Food.

Friday April 1, 2011

Pagoh set to be modern breeding ground for cattle and livestock

By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

MUAR: Pagoh is set to become a major cattle and chicken breeding centre by adopting high-technologies in a move to further boost the nation’s food production. A 200ha site located at Ulu Bakri in the Jorak constituency has been developed and sub-divided among 11 cattle and chicken breeders to expedite the project.

Muar Veterinary Department officer Zamari Mohd Amin said the area where villagers previously released their livestock for grazing several years ago, is now a modern feedlot and breeding premise.

First-hand view: Shahruddin (left) looking at heatlthy cows being bred by Abdul Rahman Juki (right)in a feedlot premise in Ulu Bakri.

Besides cattle, a modern chicken breeding centre with six breeder blocks using high-technological concept and one block for hatchery is also part of the project.The chicken breeding venture, undertaken by Jahasrat Poultry Processing Sdn Bhd from Selangor, aims at hatching and breeding the Kop chicken.

“The company will sell the chickens to local breeders who supply them to KFC outlets in the country,” he said, during a certificate and farm machine presentation to three cattle breeders here. Zamari said Ulu Bakri, along with Kampung Paya Bakul near Pagoh, Kampung Tui near Bukit Kepong and Tulang Gajah near Lenga has been earmarked as cattle breeding areas.

He said these four areas, with land mass totalling more than 850ha, had started to produce goats and cows for breeding as well as slaughtering to meet the nation’s demand for meat.

In appreciation: Shahruddin (right) giving certificates to some of the cattle breeders.

Commenting on the project, Jorak assemblyman Datuk Dr Shahruddin Mohd Salleh said cattle breeding in the four areas were part of the government’s National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project.

He said project was launched several years ago to increase food production in the country which depended most of its meat supply from overseas.

Some 90% of beef and 98% of dairy products, added Dr Sharuddin, were imported from other country, including India and Australia, and the Government wanted to reduce import. He said the cattle and chicken breeding ventures were regarded as high-impact projects to produce food for the country and urged the breeders to be committed in their undertaking.

Dr Shahruddin added that Ulu Bakri, located about three kilometres from Bukit Naning, was not a well-known cattle and chicken producing area until now. The assemblyman also praised the veterinary Department for developing Ulu Bakri, which was once a wasteland, into a modern and productive livestock breeding centre.

“If we can restructure villages where all residents live in one area and join their plots to form big cattle farms or plantations, we can generate greater income for the villagers. “At present many live on small plots with several fruit trees around the house and a few goats or cows and as such they dont make much,” he added.