Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of halal meat. Here’s why that’s a problem.
Key Takeaways
Brazil, though the leading exporter of halal meat worldwide, operates through a ‘flexible’ halal certification process, where geopolitical and economic interests outweigh religious considerations.
The Brazilian halal meat industry is marred by scandals, exploitation of Muslim immigrants, environmental destruction, and illegal land grabbing from indigenous communities.
The global Muslim community must critically evaluate contemporary halal labels, products, and processes, assessing whether they adhere to the true spirit of halal or not.
Many are unaware that the halal meat export industry is dominated by non-Muslim majority countries. Among the top five exporters of halal meat to Muslim countries, there is only one Muslim-majority country. All other exporters are non-Muslim countries, with Brazil taking the top spot. Have a look at the data below:
However, Brazil’s dominance in the global halal meat industry is a problematic one, as it is a product of strategic alignments and negotiations rather than strict adherence to Islamic principles. In a recently published paper by Shadia Husseini de Araújo (2019), several issues have come to light within the Brazilian halal export system [1]. Let’s have a look at these issues.
A ‘flexible’ certification process
The halal industry in Brazil began in São Paulo during the 1980s when Islamic organizations established certification firms. From the start, however, these certification firms have not simply offered halal certifications based on religious considerations. Instead, they’ve strategically aligned their objectives with those of the meat and poultry industry, the Brazilian government, and the demands of potential Muslim clients across the globe.
When Muslim countries import from Brazil, they audit and accredit these certification companies. However, the absence of globally recognized halal standards has led to political challenges, as countries like Malaysia and Saudi Arabia uphold their own standards, each striving to be recognized as the global authority. This lack of consensus has led to Brazilian certifiers adopting ‘flexible certifying practices’, often molding their certifications to meet the demands of specific clients.
These demands sometimes go against religious considerations as well. For example, the practice of stunning animals before slaughter, which is controversial within Islamic law, has been a point of negotiation between Brazilian producers and importing countries.
So, because of this ‘negotiable’ nature, we argue that the Brazilian halal certification process reflects geopolitical and economic interests more than it prioritizes religious considerations.
This should be concerning for Muslims, as negotiable practices imply a lack of clarity. And Muslims have been instructed by the Prophet (SAW) to stay away from unclear things in matters of religion. [2]
Scandals within the Brazilian meat industry
A further layer to the controversial nature of the industry is the scandals that have plagued Brazil's meat industry, such as the 2017 rotten meat scandal and the 2018 salmonella scandal, where unsanitary and infected meat was being sold and exported. These incidents not only damaged Brazil's reputation as an exporter but also called into question the integrity of its halal certification process.
The Wifaqul Ulama of the UK quoted a consultant from IFT Poultry as saying:
“I traveled throughout the country about five years ago. It was clear to me that at times you just pay $20 and you get your halal stamp. Really, there should be more government control.”
Exploitation of Muslim immigrants
Beyond the scandals and certification issues, the Brazilian halal meat industry is a human rights concern as well.
The industry relies heavily on immigrant labor, often under exploitative conditions. Many workers, predominantly from Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, arrive in Brazil under false pretenses, lured by promises of stable jobs and legal residency. However, once in Brazil, they face grueling work conditions – low pay, temporary contracts, and dangerous tasks in cold environments with frequent exposure to blood and death.
Due to the harshness of the conditions, most workers leave the industry within just a couple of years, perpetuating a cycle of exploitation where new immigrants are constantly brought in to replace them. The long-term psychological and physical impact this has on the workers is yet to be fully studied, unfortunately.
Mass deforestation, loss of ecosystems, and greenhouse gas emissions
In addition to the issues highlighted by de Araújo (2019), there is an environmental aspect to the problem as well. Close to a billion trees have been cut down in the Amazon rainforest to meet the world’s demand for Brazilian beef, leading to massive ecosystem loss. In terms of greenhouse gasses (GHG), it was reported in 2021 that out of the 1.8 billion tonnes of GHGs emitted from Brazil, 78% were linked to beef production.
The Amazon rainforest is responsible for absorbing one-quarter of all the CO2 soaked up by the planet. But with increasing deforestation and decreasing absorption, global climate change will be further exacerbated. [3]
Illegal land grabbing of Indigenous areas
Another serious human rights violation within the Brazilian Amazon is the ever-increasing illegal land grabbing of indigenous areas. Research has shown that over the past few decades, groups such as land mafias, private companies, and even those holding governmental powers have forcibly occupied areas associated with indigenous communities, which are then turned into pasture land (see here for a detailed explanation of Brazil’s land grabbing-deforestation cycle).
Although deforestation across Brazil has reduced ever since the incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took charge, indigenous communities have recently come out in protest against undelivered promises by the government as well as new infrastructure projects that threaten a further increase in deforestation.
With the Brazilian Congress leaning heavily in favor of the agribusiness sector, the indigenous communities of Brazil face an uphill battle.
“This is not what I consider halal”
Halal in its true sense encompasses not only what is permissible to eat, but how it is produced as well. The focus on profit over principle in the Brazilian halal market has led to a situation where there is little to no regard for the wellbeing of workers or the ethical treatment of animals. This has led certain experts to criticize the entire system. For example, de Araújo’s research quoted a Shaykh who had worked in the halal industry as saying:
“… turning halal into business and “running after money” has little to do with Islam, and even less when workers cannot but live in precarious conditions and suffer exploitation. “I have seen them”, he said, “Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, coming here … some live like dogs, not like humans. […] This is not what I consider halal.”
A halal label is NOT enough
As we’ve seen, Brazil’s position as the leading supplier of halal meat is fraught with concerns: aligning halal rulings with industrial interests, exploitation of Muslim immigrants, controversies and scandals, and enormous damage to the environment. All of these should give immediate pause to any Muslim.
We have to move beyond simply relying on halal labels, or considering certain animal products halal by default. In a world dominated by corporate interests and misuse of religion for financial gain, the onus is on each of us to scrutinize whether or not what goes in our stomachs is truly halal and adheres to the spirit of Islam.
[1] de Araújo, S. H. (2019). Assembling halal meat and poultry production in Brazil: Agents, practices, power and sites. Geoforum, 100, 220-228.
[2] “The lawful is plain, and the unlawful is plain. Between the two are doubtful matters which not many people know about. So whoever avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor; but he who falls into doubtful matters falls into the unlawful—like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein…” - Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (Bukhari, 2051)
[3] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/amazon-deforestation-and-climate-change/
