THERE is no necessity to enact a new law on halal certification now, Religious Affairs Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said.

He said the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 and subsidiary laws such as Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of “Halal”) Order 2011 and Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011, as well as enactments in states, are still relevant to meet the country’s current needs and requirements.

Na’im said in order to pass a specific halal law, it is necessary to study the various laws that are currently in force, whether they are federal or state laws.

“At the moment, the government is of the view that the existing laws and enactments in the states are still relevant and meet the current needs and requirements,” he said in the winding-up debate on the motion of the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review in the Dewan Negara today.

Meanwhile, Na’im said a total of 8,272 companies in the industrial category currently hold the Malaysian Halal Certificate while the total number of small and medium enterprises certified is 7,306.

Of that number, 3,270 are Bumiputera companies, he said. – Bernama, September 25, 2023.