Illegal meat cartel in Malaysia: what went wrong?

Abstract

Halal is an essential part of the Muslim faith. The Halal certificate is one of the Malaysian government's initiatives designed to help Muslim consumers. The success rate of the government initiative, however, relies on the collaboration of every walk of life. This initiative must be compatible with efforts to eradicate all who are cashing in on the Halal industry’s growth. This study, therefore, discussed the import and export sectors as a solution to the meat supply limitation in Malaysia, fulfilling the need of consumers and improving the domestic economy by reflecting the illegal meat cartel issue as the main theme of discussion. The issue of the illegally imported meats labelled with the halal logo clearly points out the weaknesses that need to be rectified immediately. To incorporate detailed ideas, library research and document analysis are employed by referring to primary sources as well as secondary sources such as article journals, official portals, conference papers and so on. Data extracted including from interviews were analysed thematically based on illegal meat cartels and the manipulation point that needs to be addressed. Research findings succeeded in revealing the manipulation point that needs to be fixed and monitored more efficiently in the illegal import meat cartel case by the agencies involved. Recommendations based on the research findings suggest that the Malaysia government needs to strengthen halal certification processes and methods of monitoring, while the industries must fulfil all requirements that had been set by the government and provide lawful food for consumers. The authorities also need to tighten the specific standard operating procedure that ensures transparency for all parties