CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF A UNIFIED LEGAL CONTROL OF HALAL MEAT IMPORT FOR A SUSTAINABLE HALAL INDUSTRY IN MALAYSIA

Abstract

The recent discoveries of smuggling non-halal meat within the halal meat industry have impeached the reliability of the existing legal framework governing the import of halal meat to Malaysia. The existing halal legal framework that is scattered and non-unified contributed to the uncertain jurisdiction of multi-authority that controls the import of halal meat, lack of coherence, over-regulation, and inadequate regulatory activities. Thus this study aimed to examine the conceptual framework of unified legal control of halal meat import in Malaysia. This study adopts a qualitative method utilizing doctrinal research where data is gathered using documentation methods from books, journal articles, reports, and online data-based. The data gathered are analyzed using a document and content analysis approach. The finding shows that a more effective unified legal framework should replace the current scattered and non-unified legal framework. The unified legal framework may assist in identifying the role of each agency to avoid duplication of effort, consolidation of resources, and finding measures that help improve coherence among these agencies.