Exporting halal meat and halal products
Do you want to export halal meat or other halal products? Then you must deal with certain rules. For example, you often need to have a halal certificate. You should also always check first what product requirements apply in the country to which you are exporting a halal product.
What is halal?
Halal means pure or allowed in Arabic. A halal product has to comply with the rules of Islam. Also in the Netherlands. Otherwise a Muslim cannot buy or use the product. Fruit and vegetables, for example, are always halal. But meat is only halal if the animal has been ritually slaughtered. It is not only about meat or other food products. It also applies to products such as cosmetics, clothes, and medicine. For example, cosmetics may not contain pork fat or alcohol.
The opposite of halal is haram, meaning unclean or forbidden.
Check the product requirements for halal certification
Not all rules and halal requirements (in Dutch) are the same in every country. Because of this, there are various halal quality marks with various logos. Also, the product requirements are different in each country. Check carefully which requirements there are for your product if you are planning to export it.
Check if a halal certificate is required
For exporting products to Islamic countries a halal certificate is required. For example, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. With the European Commission's Access2Markets tool, you can check if a halal certificate is required. You search with the product name or the HS code of the product and the country you want to export to.
Example search by product name or HS code
You want to export lamb to Saudi Arabia, follow these steps:
- Product name or HS code: ‘meat or sheep’. Pick from the list a sub category and click on the HS code, or you enter the correct HS commodity code right away
- Country of origin: Netherlands
- Country of destination: Saudi Arabia
- Click on ‘Search’
- Choose a subcategory from the list here and click on the HS code if you have not entered it.
- In the search result, click on 'Procedures and formalities' in the left-hand column.
- Click on 'Specific'. In the drop-down list, you will see a link to 'Halal certificate' with more information.
For more information, see the manual and the European Commission's video about the use of Access2Markets.
Exports to a non-Islamic country
Do you sell halal products in a non-Islamic country? For example, in an EU country? Then a certification is not legally required. But your buyer may demand it, because their Islamic clients might otherwise not buy your halal products.
Pay attention to changes in law
Among other things, a halal authority sets the rules for halal certification and accredits the certifying agency (the body authorised to issue halal certificates). The rules for halal certification may change within a country. For example, you may already need a certificate for halal meat, but may soon also need one for other products. Or a country may be in the process of introducing halal certification.
So always ask your overseas customer, or the halal authority in the export country, which rules apply in that country. Do this before you export the products.
Check certifying agencies
Check with the local halal authorities which agencies are authorised to provide certificates for your product. For certain countries those authorities are included in the country information (in Dutch) of RVO.
Comply with the rules of ritual slaughter
In the Netherlands, there are strict rules for slaughtering animals. You cannot slaughter animals without anaesthesia. There is an exception for ritual slaughter. Under certain conditions, this is permitted without anaesthesia. But this can only be done under the supervision of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). And it is only allowed in slaughterhouses that are authorised to do so.
Read more about the NVWA rules for ritual slaughter (in Dutch).