AFTER a long span of indifference and lethargy, the policymakers have come to realise the importance of a regulated and disciplined halal food sector and its potential of growing into a large export industry.

Draft legislation has been prepared by the ministry of science and technology, in consultation with stakeholders, to establish an organisation at the federal level — to be called the Pakistan Halal Authority — whose core function will be to spur production and export of halal products. The draft law providing for uniform standards would soon be submitted to the cabinet for approval.

Globally, the recognised forum for halal accreditation is the OIC Standards Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (OIC-SMIIC). Two organisations under the control of the ministry — the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) and the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) — are members of its relevant technical committees.

Pakistan’s halal meat industry has been striving hard to create a niche for itself in the highly competitive global market. It can perform much better if it is supported by relevant authorities, its exporters say

Meanwhile, the PNAC has launched a halal accreditation scheme in line with OIC guidelines, and the PSQCA has formulated standards such as requirements for accrediting halal certification bodies and for halal food management system.

The Punjab government has set up its own body — the Punjab Halal Development Agency (PHDA) — to prescribe standards and processes for halal certification of food and non-food sectors and advanced laboratory testing facilities.

The need for safe food products is increasing with improvements in socio-economic conditions. Exporters in Punjab claim that the contribution of halal meat and food in the country’s total exports has been high. But due to lack of government interest, their exports have decreased by 55pc in the recent period.

Although at a nascent stage, Pakistan’s halal meat industry has been striving hard to create a niche for itself in the highly competitive global market. It can perform much better if supported by the authorities concerned, its exporters say. This is evident from the fact that in 2012-13, Pakistan earned $214.5 million from the export of processed meat, despite loadshedding.

Meat is currently the country’s principal, and in fact only, halal item that has a ready market abroad, and more so in Muslim countries. But in addition to erratic power supply, its growth is hindered by the fear of some importers that under the prevailing hygienic conditions in abattoirs — often overlooked by Pakistani authorities — the possibility of contaminated meat being passing off to them as fully safe under a fake certificate cannot be ruled out.

It is in the backdrop of such fears that a letter sent by the government of Mauritius to Pakistan assumes significance. Mauritius insisted that while exporting meat, Pakistani exporters must carry a veterinary health certificate issued by their ministry of agriculture, confirming that the conditions, agreed under an MOU between the two countries, have been fulfilled.

For instance, the animals from which the meat was derived must have originated from areas in approximately a 100-kilometre radius where there had been no outbreak of OIE-listed diseases, particularly foot and mouth disease. The meat should be derived from animals slaughtered in the abattoir located in the same meat complex; and the animals were subjected to ante-mortem inspection by a government veterinary officer or a veterinary surgeon duly recognised for this purpose.

Some countries that import Pakistani meat also send delegations to monitor conditions in abattoirs and inspect the health status of the animals. Earlier this month, a four-member delegation of veterinarians from Egypt visited 18 abattoirs in the country and related facilities, and examined meat processing and checked how far international standards were being complied with. This was because there were select firms to buy meat from. The Egyptians also looked into the prospects of importing frozen meat from Pakistan.

Pakistan is exporting beef and mutton to several Middle Eastern countries, like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, besides also to Vietnam.

Some two years ago, a delegation from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates had refused to buy meat from a public sector slaughterhouse being run by the municipal administration in Karachi. The delegation did not find the hygienic conditions at the abattoir good enough. They had also objected to the site of the slaughterhouse.

A similar delegation from Thailand also visited the country a few months ago and expressed concern over the absence of halal-related laws. The visitors stressed on the need for legislation on certification of halal products and their standardisation, covering all aspects of the definition of halal by Pakistan’s parliament. Pakistani companies, they noted, were eager to get PSQCA, ISO and other international certifications, but had a weak focus on halal certification.

The slaughtering of livestock in cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar is done in both municipal and private abattoirs, most of which lack required hygiene conditions and modern amenities. According to the West Pakistan Slaughter Control Act 1963, the slaughtering of small and large animals should strictly be undertaken at recognised places with ante- and post-mortem veterinary inspections.

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, May 26th, 2014