Industries
Halal slaughter house certification
Halal meat certification begins at the slaughter facility. TGHA audits abattoirs and meat-processing sites against halal slaughter requirements, animal-welfare handling, hygiene and segregation, and verifies chain of custody from receipt of livestock to cold store.
What halal slaughter involves
Standards differ in detail, but they share these core points:
- Only permitted animals, alive and healthy at slaughter, and checked by a qualified veterinarian before and after slaughter
- A competent slaughterer who invokes the name of God at the slaughter
- A sharp knife and a cut that severs the windpipe, the gullet and the main vessels of the neck
- Bleeding, with death confirmed before the animal is processed further
- Equipment, tools and cleaning products that are free of non-halal substances
- Meat kept apart from non-halal meat and traceable to the slaughterhouse
What we assess
- Slaughter method and slaughterman competency
- Segregation from non-halal lines and equipment
- Traceability from lairage to dispatch
Where authorities differ
Three questions are answered differently by different authorities.
- Stunning. The UAE slaughter standard permits controlled, non-lethal stunning under strict conditions. Some certifiers and markets allow it only with set parameters, and some reject all stunning.
- Machine slaughter of poultry. The UAE standard allows it under conditions, including a qualified slaughterer who operates the equipment and invokes for each group of birds, and enough staff to cut by hand any bird the machine misses. Some certifiers do not accept it.
- Who may slaughter. The Codex guideline requires a Muslim slaughterer. The UAE standard also permits a Christian or Jewish slaughterer. Some buyers require a Muslim slaughterer.
TGHA assesses each slaughterhouse against the requirements of the standard applied and of your destination market. Because markets differ, tell us where you export and we will confirm what applies.
Common issues
- Stunning that kills the animal or stops its heart before the cut
- A recorded or single invocation used for a machine line
- Mixed lines or sites where non-permitted animals or prohibited methods are used
- Under-bled carcasses that are not detected and removed
- Weak records for stunning checks, CCTV and equipment parameters
What to prepare
Your slaughter procedures, the slaughterer competence records, stunning-control records where stunning is used, CCTV and equipment records, and your procedures for separating and disposing of non-halal carcasses.
Frequently asked questions
Is stunned meat halal?
It depends on the certifier and the market. Some accept controlled, non-lethal stunning and some reject all stunning. Under the UAE rules, stunning must not kill the animal or stop its heart, and the certifier must verify this.
Can a machine slaughter poultry and still be halal?
Under the UAE standard, yes, with conditions: a qualified slaughterer operates the machine and invokes for each group, there is a single sharp blade, and staff are ready to cut by hand. Other certifiers refuse machine slaughter.
Does the slaughterer have to be Muslim?
The Codex guideline says yes. The UAE standard also allows a Christian or Jewish slaughterer. Some buyers require a Muslim slaughterer, so check your market.
Ready to certify with confidence?
Tell us your product, site, and target market — we'll come back with a costed proposal and an indicative timeline.