Malaysia’s Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) counts 221 slaughterhouse premises nationwide with Malaysian Halal Certification, only four of them in Kuala Lumpur, director-general Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee told the New Straits Times. The newspaper reported that Kuala Lumpur’s figure is the second-lowest nationwide, after Perlis.
For slaughterhouses, certification is voluntary, the New Straits Times reported, and Sirajuddin said uncertified premises may not use the Malaysia Halal logo. On Nov. 7, an unnamed source quoted by the New Straits Times called for it to be made compulsory, citing a recent case of poultry not slaughtered in line with Islamic requirements. The call came a week after an Oct. 30 raid on an uncertified poultry plant in Puchong, Selangor, a case that matters to processors, the restaurants they supply, and buyers who trust the national mark.
Sirajuddin described certification as a verification process of applications, document checks, audits, and assessments of compliance with Sharia requirements and relevant standards. The voluntary certification scheme, known by the acronym SPHM, has been unchanged since its introduction in 1974 and is administered by JAKIM, state Islamic religious departments, and state Islamic religious councils, according to the New Straits Times.
The New Straits Times report gives no total for all slaughterhouses in Malaysia, certified or not, and no figure for any state other than Kuala Lumpur. The newspaper said it understood that some slaughterhouses operate with certified slaughterers without applying for certification from JAKIM or a state religious department. Sirajuddin said the decision to apply can depend on operational needs, business scale, management priorities, and premises readiness.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said in a Nov. 5 statement, reported by Bernama, that SPHM holders are subject to monitoring and certification action if they fall out of compliance. The unresolved question is whether the government will reopen the Cabinet’s 2024 decision to keep certification voluntary. None of the reports says whether a review is planned.
Puchong Plant Had No Certificate and No Application on File
The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) had no record of any certification application from the Puchong plant, which did not hold SPHM. JAIS found 12 people slaughtering chickens in breach of Islamic requirements at the premises, which had no signboard, director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said, according to a Nov. 3 Bernama report. He said the slaughtering took place after the chickens had died during electrical water stunning, and that JAIS believes more than one company ran the premises.
Based on the machine’s capacity, the premises could process more than 40,000 chickens a day, Datuk Muhammad Abdul Halim, deputy director (Operations) of the Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department, said, according to a Nov. 1 Malay Mail report. He said water stunning ran at 60 volts and 130 volts, against a JAIS limit of below 10 volts. Malay Mail also reported that JAKIM had issued several notices and reminders to comply, which the plant did not follow.
The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) had never issued slaughterer accreditation at the plant, Bernama reported. Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said more than 6.5 tonnes of raw chicken, worth an estimated RM85,400, were seized on Oct. 30, Bernama reported on Nov. 5.
Compulsory Halal Certification Call Revisits a 2024 Cabinet Decision
An unnamed source quoted by the New Straits Times on Nov. 7 called for compulsory certification of slaughterhouses. The source said the step had become increasingly urgent and that, 52 years after Malaysia introduced halal certification, the country had chosen to take a step backwards. The New Straits Times did not state the source’s role.
The source said a proposal to make halal certification compulsory for all slaughterhouse operators, restaurant owners, and food manufacturers went to the Cabinet in 2024 and was not implemented. The source put that down to concerns over negative reactions from those opposing the policy, while the newspaper reported Cabinet members feared it could negatively affect non-Muslim business operators.
Reports from 2024 describe the proposal differently. Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, then Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), said in September 2024 that JAKIM was considering mandatory certification for restaurants and food establishments that do not serve pork or alcohol, an early-stage proposal, Malay Mail reported. The 2024 reports reviewed by The Halal Times do not mention slaughterhouses.
The 2024 plan drew objections from business and politics. Teresa Kok of the Democratic Action Party said mandatory certification would burden small businesses and raise costs, Malay Mail reported, and food and beverage operators objected to high fees and stringent requirements, according to The Star.
On Sept. 12, 2024, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered a full report to the Cabinet, according to The Star. After the Cabinet met on Sept. 18, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, “Getting halal certification will remain voluntary for industry players.” A written parliamentary record dated Oct. 14, 2024 showed the government had decided to retain the voluntary policy, according to a Berita Harian check cited by the New Straits Times.
MAIS and the Religious Affairs Minister Draw Different Lessons
MAIS chairman Datuk Salehuddin Saidin tied the Puchong case partly to missing certification mandates, Bernama reported on Oct. 31. He cited the absence of mandatory halal certification requirements for certain premises, and said the factory was ordered closed for two weeks under health regulations and restaurants were told to stop using its supplies.
Zulkifli, in his Nov. 5 statement, framed the gap differently. The absence of SPHM does not by itself prove that a slaughter is not halal, he said, only that the premises has not obtained compliance verification. He said non-compliance at one premises should not be generalized to all slaughterhouses, and urged the public to distinguish viral allegations from verified investigation results. “The possession of an operating licence cannot be equated with halal certification,” Zulkifli said.
JAKIM Wants More Halal-Certified Slaughterhouses
Zulkifli said the benefits of certification are immense for slaughterhouse operators and help them strengthen halal control throughout their operations. He advised users to prioritize supplies from certified sources and to check a supplier’s status on the Malaysian Halal Portal. Operators weighing an application can review how to obtain Malaysian halal certification and JAKIM fees and the hidden costs.
Sirajuddin said uncertified premises may not make any declaration suggesting they are certified, the subject of our report on preventing misuse of the halal logo. Armizan said KPDN, his ministry, monitors halal claims at the retail level.
Certified plants face inspections too. Zulkifli’s statement followed a night inspection of an SPHM holder’s slaughterhouse in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, by a JAKIM Halal Management Division team, Bernama reported. JAKIM said it strongly encourages all slaughterhouse operators to obtain SPHM.
Investigations Proceed While the Voluntary Rule Holds
Armizan said on Nov. 5 that the KPDN and JAKIM investigations into the Puchong case were still open. Zulkifli’s statement the same day described certification as voluntary. Sirajuddin said JAKIM’s aim is to see more slaughterhouses join the certification scheme, which counts 221 certified premises nationwide.
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