Helping the livestock and poultry raisers keep up with the increasing demand for Halal food products both in the local and international market, the Department of Agriculture in Ilocos Region, through the Halal Food Industry Development Program (HFIDP) conducted a one-day seminar cum practical demo on animal slaughtering following the Islamic way on April 28, 2022.
Held at the Center for Bamboo Development Farm located at Brgy. Ambalite, Pugo, La Union, the seminar cum demo paved way for the participants to abreast with the practical and technical know-how in animal slaughtering using the Islamic principles.
In his discussion on the Halal foundation, certification process, and marketing of Halal products and by-products, Dr. Rafael ‘Ismael’ Abaya Maharajah III underscored the need for animal raisers to indulge in producing animals and poultry production, especially in ruminants like goats and rabbits because of the increasing demand for these products by the Muslim community.
Paving the way for penetrating possible markets for small ruminants, he noted the need for the participants to be familiarized with the requirements of the Muslim community considering their higher standards for animal welfare and food safety.
One major requirement that the Muslims take into consideration is the Halal certification not only for the animal product and by-product itself but for the slaughterhouse as well as the process that these products are being prepared.
In doing so, Ms. Mayumi Pascua, an international Halal Chef reminded the participants of the do’s and don’ts of animal slaughtering which provided the participants the technical know-how in animal and poultry before, during and after slaughtering.
Following the Animal Welfare Act which the country has been using to promote food safety not only for the consumers but for the animals to be butchered as well, Ms. Pascua emphasized the need to adhere to standards in slaughtering.
To provide the participants a practical idea of the proper slaughtering of animals, a hands-on demo was done by the resource persons using the goat, rabbit, and chicken.
Meanwhile, to further familiarize the participants with the production technologies in goat and rabbit raising, the HFIDP toured the group at the existing goats and rabbit farms in La Union to better appreciate the enterprise for livestock raisers.###
