PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth has lodged a police report over the issue of meat smuggling after reports of a cartel mixing different meats and passing it off as halal meat in the open market.
The youth wing leader, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, said a special team should be set up by the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission so that the investigation into the matter could be carried out quickly and in an integrated manner.
Those involved in the smuggling, whether individuals, agencies and companies, should be exposed and prosecuted immediately.
He said many government agencies and institutions are involved in the regulation, certification, inspection and enforcement of the halal industry in the country.
Asyraf set out questions for which accurate and clear information was needed:
Who is the mastermind responsible for managing the import of the frozen meat whose halal status is in doubt; why is there a monopoly on halal meat processing, especially in China, Thailand and India; why the Veterinary Department allows only a few factories in China, India and Thailand to export chicken and meat to Malaysia; whether regular inspections are conducted every year; whether any import permit has even been issued on oxtail; and whether cows in the local market were imported from Argentina.
The issue of various types of meat being mixed up and wrongly declared as halal hit the headlines on reports that a “cartel” had been importing frozen meats from countries such as China, Ukraine, Brazil and Argentina. Authorities have seized 1,500 tonnes of meat worth RM30 million from a facility in Senai.