Halal certification service

Certification bodies

Halal certification in Australia began in 1974. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) was initially recommended by a 1974 delegation from Saudi Arabia, as the “sole authority in Australia to certify that meat had been killed in accordance with Islamic rites” for Muslims in Australia. As at March 2017 there were 22 Islamic groups approved by the federal government to issue halal certificates for export. Some of the major halal certifiers are: the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC); the Halal Certification Authority Australia; the Supreme Islamic Council of Halal Meat in Australia; the Islamic Co-ordinating Council of Victoria; and Halal Australia These organisations charge fees for their services. A Parliamentary Library publication provides further details regarding the halal certification process and bodies which provide services within Australia. It states that the prices vary “depending on the product involved, the organisation from which certification is sought and whether the goods are for export or domestic consumption. However, the fees are often modest.” It is reported that AFIC earns up to $1 million a year from halal certification.

Similarly, the certification of food produced in Australia as kosher (the other primary form of religion-based certification) is largely conducted by two non-government organisations. In states not covered by these organisations local rabbis undertake this duty. The kosher certification bodies also charge fees for this service.

Debate regarding halal slaughter

There is a debate within the Muslim community over whether meat from animals which are killed after first being stunned can be considered halal. While research undertaken by Meat & Livestock Australia supports the use of pre-slaughter stunning, Ikebal Patel, the then-president of AFIC, believes, “the jury is still out”. The RSPCA says while the vast majority of halal slaughter in Australia involves pre-slaughter stunning, “the slaughter of a fully conscious animal is inhumane and completely unnecessary” and is strongly lobbying for action against this practice for all domestic and export animals.

Halal logos as registered Trade Marks

Australian halal certification marks can be registered by the legal owner under the Australian Trade Mark Act. Doing so requires the owner to consistently provide products of the specified standard. Mis-use of trade marks can lead to legal penalties: In a 2014 court case, HCAA successfully sued a meat supplier which had provided a certificate to two kebab shops which included the authority’s trade mark and wrongly claimed that it had certified the meat. The Supreme Court awarded damages, against the wholesaler, of $91,015.00 being 150% of the annual licence fees, that would have been otherwise payable. A 2015 Senate inquiry recommended that all halal certification schemes register trade marks and for the sector to consider adopting a single trade mark to improve confidence that products marketed as halal meet the required standards.

Proceeds of certification

Despite clams by some Australian anti-Islam groups of halal certification funds terrorism, according to a report by the ABC Fact-checking unit. Found that the profits of halal certification go to Islamic schools and mosques.

Opposition to halal certification

halal food certification has been criticized by groups who claim that certifying foods as halal leads to consumers subsidizing a particular religious belief.

In 2014, anti-halal-certification groups campaigned against Australian food companies in an attempt to discourage them from having their food certified as being halal. Some of these groups argued that the cost of certification increases the prices of food to all consumers, and that the fees charged for certification are used to fund terrorism. In November 2014 Fleurieu Milk & Yoghurt Company decided to stop producing halal products after being targeted by campaigners, and a number of other large and small companies were also reported to have been targeted. Keysar Trad from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils told a journalist in July 2014 that “hate groups” were attempting to exploit anti-Muslim sentiments.

In 2015, the head of the Halal Certification Authority Australia, Mohammed El-Mouelhy took legal action in the NSW Supreme Court against members of the Q Society of Australia and the owner of a website entitled HalalChoices. El-Mouelhy claims he has been defamed in relation to the proceeds of halal certification. The case was settled out of court in 2017.

In mid-2017 it was revealed several companies in Australia including Kellogg’s had ceased paying for halal certification. They denied it was in response to pressure from campaigners. Commenting on this, a spokesman for Kellog’s said, “As most of our cereals are plant-based, they’re inherently halal, so we chose not to renew our certification…This was a commercial decision, not the result of any public pressure or backlash.