Difficult to set up teams to monitor halal abattoirs abroad - Idris

KUALA LUMPUR: It will be difficult to set up teams comprising imams and students abroad to monitor the operation of foreign abattoirs with halal status as proposed by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad.

He said this was due to the provisions of other countries' laws which should be respected.

However, Idris welcomed the suggestion, adding that the department had carried out its own monitoring efforts.

"It involves the law, so we cannot do things arbitrarily. The suggestion is good but the provisions of the law prohibit us from doing so," he told a press conference after officiating at the Syariah Crime Prevention Campaign 2022 here today.

Last week, a local daily reported on the alleged breach of halal slaughtering protocols at an abattoir in Australia which has been recognised by the Australian Halal Development and Accreditation (AHDAA).

The newspaper also reported that AHDAA was in the process of obtaining halal approval from the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) to allow meat products under its supervision to enter the Malaysian market.

Commenting on the campaign, Idris said the department has begun conducting crime prevention activities in gambling hotspots around the federal capital in the last couple of months.

Through the same initiative, the department was in the midst of collecting data and would cooperate with NGOs to help bring sex workers out of vice activities.

-- BERNAMA