By Prof. Khaswar Syamsu, PhD, Head of the IPB Halal Science Centre
Slaughterhouses (RPH) for both ruminants (RPH-R) and poultry (RPH-U) are the first link in the halal supply chain for meat and meat derivative products. What are the obstacles faced and how are they solved?
The deadline for halal certification obligations for food, beverages, food and beverage ingredients, and services related to eating and drinking, such as restaurants, logistics (warehousing and transportation), slaughter results, and slaughter services (Slaughterhouses), is getting closer.
If by October 17, 2024, slaughter service business actors (RPH), food and beverage business actors, and food and beverage material business actors do not have halal certificates, there will be sanctions ranging from warnings to revocation of operational permits. This deadline has been delayed because according to Act No. 33 of 2014 concerning Halal Product Assurance, this halal certification obligation should have been carried out since 2019, 5 years after this regulation was enacted.
Slaughterhouses (RPH), both for ruminants (RPH-R) and for poultry (RPH-U), are the first link in the halal supply chain for meat products and meat derivatives. When meat from the RPH is not halal, meat products and derivatives in the downstream industry are also not. Therefore, halal certification of the RPH will facilitate and solve most of the problems of halal certification of meat products and meat derivatives in the downstream industry, including micro, small and medium business products that use meat or meat derivatives.
Based on data from KNEKS (2024), of the 566 Ruminant RPHs throughout Indonesia, only 144 Ruminant RPHs (25%) have NKV (Veterinary Control Number), and only 72 Ruminant RPHs (13%) have NKV and halal certificates. The latest data from BPJPH accessed on June 17, 2024 from the bpjph.halal.go.id website, only 36 RPHs have received halal certificates from BPJPH, while data from LPPOM accessed on the same date, only 19 Slaughter Services (RPH) have received halal certificates that LPH LPPOM inspected.
Based on data from the Ministry of Agriculture (2024), the number of large Ruminant and Goat/Sheep RPHs is 587. A total of 149 RPHs (25%) have NKVs and 130 RPHs (22%) have halal certificates. Different data from different agencies need to be synchronized to obtain accurate data that can be accounted for.
A more significant percentage was obtained in Poultry Slaughterhouses. Of the 314 Poultry Slaughterhouses throughout Indonesia, 213 Poultry Slaughterhouses (68%) have NKVs and 180 Poultry Slaughterhouses (57%) have both NKVs and halal certificates. The Ministry of Agriculture released the exact figure. The percentage of Ruminant Slaughterhouses and Poultry Slaughterhouses with halal certificates is still far from 100 percent before the October 17, 2024 deadline.
This percentage will be much smaller if unofficial Animal/Poultry Slaughterhouses (TPH/TPU) located in villages or traditional markets that do not have NKVs and Halal Certificates are considered. Most TPH/TPUs in residential areas or traditional markets have not met halal, hygiene and sanitation standards.
In the long term, existing TPH/TPUs must be transformed into official slaughterhouses, namely RPHs that meet halal, hygienic, and sanitation standards. Therefore, serious strategies and efforts are needed to accelerate halal certification of RPHs by analyzing the obstacles found and solutions to overcome these obstacles.
The first reason the number of halal-certified RPHs is still low is the lack of understanding of halal standards and certification regulations and procedures. Many meat business actors do not yet understand halal standards in depth, so they have difficulty meeting halal certification requirements. Education and socialization of halal certification regulations and procedures for RPHs need to be taught massively by BPJPH, Halal Inspection Body, and Halal Science Centre in Universities.
Halal certification of RPHs must meet not only halal rules but also thayyib. Fulfillment of the thayyib aspect can be represented by owning a Veterinary Control Number (NKV) that has considered aspects of food safety and hygiene, sanitation and public health, and animal health and welfare.
For Ruminant RPH, only around 25% of RPH-R have NKV, and only around 13% of RPH-R have both NKV and Halal Certificates. Meanwhile, for Poultry RPH, only around 68% of RPH-U have NKV and only 57% of RPH-U have NKV and halal certificates. Because halal certification of RPH must fulfill halal and thayyib aspects, priority for halal certificate management needs to be given to RPH that already has NKV to be further certified halal so that it can increase the number of RPH that are certified halal in a short time.
The leading cause of RPH that already has NKV but does not meet the halal certification requirements is that there are no Halal Slaughterers (Juleha) and Halal Supervisors who have passed the training and competency tests required in the halal certification process. Therefore, the acceleration of halal certification of slaughterhouses needs to be prioritized for slaughterhouses that already have NKV by increasing the number of Halal Slaughterers and Halal Supervisors with competency certificates.
Training of Halal Slaughterers and Halal Supervisors of slaughterhouses can be carried out by Training Institutions or Halal Science Centre at Universities recognized by BPJPH and competency tests by the Professional Certification Body (LSP) representing the National Professional Certification Agency that has been identified. Training and competency tests for halal slaughterers and halal supervisors certainly require training costs and competency test costs.
In addition, funds are needed to improve slaughterhouse facilities to meet the requirements for obtaining NKV. Therefore, budget allocation support is required from the Central Government and Regional Governments to support halal certification of slaughterhouses by increasing the number of competent halal slaughterers and halal supervisors and improving infrastructure at slaughterhouses to meet halal, hygiene and sanitation standards. The involvement of Islamic financial institutions in supporting the Halal slaughterhouse ecosystem and strengthening the halal value chain also needs to be encouraged.
The commitment of most Regional Heads to revitalize and certify halal RPH is still considered lacking due to the low cost of retribution from RPH for the Regional Government. Even the income of RPH itself is unable to cover the operational costs and sustainability of RPH. Therefore, the Regional Government needs to make RPH a professional business unit or BUMD to finance its operational costs and sustainability independently.
For the initial stage towards RPH that meets the requirements to obtain NKV and Halal Certificates, initial funds are needed from the Government (Central or Regional), and support for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds from Islamic financial institutions, private companies, or other relevant institutions. Wallahualam. (***)
This article is included in the LPPOM Halal Journal Edition 168, accessible at the link https://halalmui.org/jurnal-halal/168/
