Witchunt?
OPINION: Newsroom is running a series of articles looking into the influence of lobbying and has kicked it off with agriculture.
Andrew Hoggard, Minister for Food Safety, says that Malaysia is a significant market for New Zealand’s premium halal meat products, with exports of more than $60 million last year.
“Malaysia is facilitating the approval of several New Zealand halal meat premises seeking first-time access to this market, which is crucial to growing exports,” Hoggard says.
He says that with a population of over 35 million people, new access will help set the stage for significant growth in the Malaysian market.
“Once approved, this will boost returns for Kiwi farmers, processors and exporters,” Hoggard says.
Malaysian authorities will visit the new premises to review their halal production processes as part of the approval process.
This progress was announced yesterday at a Halal Forum in Wellington, hosted by Hoggard and Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Rural and Regional Development Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Haji Hamidi.
Dato’ Seri Zahid says New Zealand and Malaysia are also working closely together to streamline the export requirements for halal meat.
“Malaysia places significant importance on compliance with halal requirements,” he says.
Dato’ Seri Zahid says Malaysia is working hard with New Zealand to strengthen halal collaboration, which includes refreshing the requirements for the export of halal meat to Malaysia.
“This is a testament to the strong relationship between both countries, and the confidence Malaysia has in New Zealand’s halal processing and assurance systems,” he says.
Meanwhile, Hoggard says the refreshed requirements will help provide certainty for Kiwi producers in areas including registration of new premises, documentation, processing, labelling, packaging, and storage.
“New Zealand remains fully committed to our strong relationship with Malaysia and supplying the best quality halal products to consumers in this important market,” he says.
