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Multi-million pound halal meat export opportunity
3:10am Friday 27th February 2009
WORCESTERSHIRE farmers could be set to benefit from the multi-million pound halal meat export business.
The West Midlands is poised to become the European hub of an industry that could see regional farmers annually supplying thousands of tonnes of halal meat to Muslim communities throughout the world.
Livestock producers in Worcestershire and Herefordshire could tap into new consumer markets for halal meat in Europe and the Middle East following the approval of the UK’s first “farm to fork” traceability system.
Michael Oakes, who farms near Bromsgrove and is board member for rural affairs at Advantage West Midlands, said: “Farmers have taken some hard knocks in the past few years, such as foot and mouth, BSE, outbreaks of avian bird flu and bluetongue and restrictions on sales abroad. Now, for the red meat industry especially, the Qurbani Project has opened up major opportunities in the global market for halal meat products.
“In the UK, British Muslims currently make up about three per cent of the UK population but they consume 20 per cent of all red meat sold in the country. Halal meat is increasingly being bought in supermarket chains and other outlets by non-Muslims.
There are two million Muslims in the UK but there are three times that number of consumers of halal meat. That’s a major business opportunity for our livestock farmers.”
To make meat halal or permissible, an animal or poultry has to be slaughtered in a ritual way known as Zibah.
The UK halal market is worth about £2.8 billion.
The new tagging and online certification system, pioneered in the West Midlands, is devised to meet stringent halal guarantee demands required by Muslim holy law and covers animal welfare, animal husbandry, livestock transport, halal slaughter and food processing.
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