KUALA LUMPUR: The claim that Malaysia will immediately recognise halal certifications issued by the United States' halal certification bodies is baseless and does not reflect the actual terms agreed upon during recent trade discussions, says Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
The Investment, Trade and Industry Minister said that while both countries have agreed to facilitate the import of meat and poultry products from the United States, such imports must still comply with halal standards set by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).
“One of the key matters agreed upon with the United States is the importation of meat and poultry, and related products, into Malaysia from US halal certification bodies that adhere to the halal standards and requirements established by Jakim.
“The government remains uncompromising in maintaining syariah-compliant standards to safeguard the interests of Muslim consumers in Malaysia,” he told the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Aug 4).
Tengku Zafrul clarified that the facilitation agreed upon relates strictly to monitoring and verification, which will be carried out by US halal certification bodies recognised by Jakim.
“So the allegation that Malaysia will immediately recognise company-level halal certificates is unfounded. It does not reflect the facts agreed upon in these negotiations,” he said.
He also outlined other key areas of agreement between Malaysia and the United States, including streamlining the certification and registration process for facilities exporting dairy, meat and poultry products to Malaysia according to domestic regulations.
The two sides also agreed to implement a regionalisation method for disease control concerning the export of live poultry and poultry products from the United States, he added.
Other areas include facilitating the recognition of standards and marketing for US industrial products such as automotive goods, medical devices and pharmaceuticals in line with existing domestic regulations.
Tengku Zafrul said both nations have also committed to strengthening enforcement in areas such as intellectual property rights, labour, environmental protection and sustainable fisheries management, based on Malaysia’s obligations under relevant international organisations.
“I want to stress that Malaysia has not relaxed any controls or conditions that would compromise the rights of the people or the sustainability of local industries.
“There is no blanket exemption granted to import licensing or approved permits (AP) for products imported from the United States.
“There is also no full liberalisation of foreign equity ownership conditions in strategic sectors, and bumiputra equity requirements remain in place for all relevant sectors,” he added.
