Dr Mohamed Abdel-Al, who is the president of New Zealand's Islamic Meat Management and of Islamic Processed Foods, has voiced concerns about the state of halal certification in the country, stating that he believes that those in the halal marketing will be missing out unless they amend the system and make it clearer to laymen.
He claims that, while New Zealand is recognised by Muslims as a leader in halal meat production, there is a widespread misunderstanding about the procedures used by slaughterhouses in the country.
He claims electronic stunning, which is used in most slaughterhouses in the country, sometimes actually kills the animal. This puts it into direct opposition to the halal custom of having the animal killed via cutting its throat.