Indonesia may ban Aussie beef imports

Indonesia has threatened to ban Australian beef imports amid concerns some of the
meat doesn't meet Islamic halal standards.
A large amount of Australian beef is being held at Jakarta's main port because the
country's Islamic Ulema Council, or MUI, has declared it no longer recognises
several of Australia's halal certifying bodies.
Indonesia, which imports an estimated 70,000 tonnes of beef from Australia and New
Zealand every year, requires all beef imports to be certified halal.
That means the meat has been taken from cattle slaughtered in a manner deemed
suitable for consumption by Muslims.
But it's up to the MUI, Indonesia's top Islamic body, to decide which overseas
institutions can certify the meat.
Indonesia this week temporarily banned beef imports from New Zealand after the MUI
announced it no longer recognises any of that country's certifying bodies.
According to the state-owned news agency Antara, Agriculture Minister Anton
Apriyantono said Australian certifying bodies had to meet new MUI standards or
Australian beef would face a similar ban.
A spokesman for the Trade Minister Simon Crean said the government was concerned
that Australian beef was being held up at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port.
"Mr Crean is hopeful that Australian and Indonesian officials can work together to
ensure that the free flow of trade in Australian beef is restored as soon as
possible," the spokesman said.
Mr Crean will raise the issue with his Indonesian counterpart Mari Pangestu at a
trade meeting in Bali at the weekend.
Halal Australia executive director Muhammad Khan said it was disappointing to see
the beef held up.
"There's a bit of a communication gap going on," he said.
"If it's not allowed in, exporters should be told at the port of departure in
Australia."
If the matter is not resolved, the meat already in Jakarta will either be
re-exported or destroyed, Indonesia's agriculture department said.