Nortura drops agreement with the Islamic Council

Halal Islamic Council NorturaHalal Siggn, Taipei. Photo: Chongkian

Nortura does not renew the agreement with the Islamic Council

Nortura has announced the termination of the agreement with the Islamic Council Norway (IRN) on halal certification, which expires at the new year.

 

Since 2006, Nortura has had an agreement on halal certification of certain products. Today, only IRN conducts such certification in Norway, writes Nortura in a press release.

The reason for termination is supposedly the noise around IRN and some of the Council’s decisions lately, such as hiring a consultant wearing a nikab, Nationen writes. The fact that the state is considering cutting the state subsidy to the organization also supposedly contributes to Nortura’s decision, according to the newspaper.

Communications director in Nortura, Ellen Flø Skagen, says the cooperation with IRN has been good and has worked well seen isolated. The decision is based on a total assessment.- They rely on trust from the authorities, the Norwegian community as a whole and not in the least, the Muslim community. Over time, we have experienced that this trust is weakened. It is part of the overall assessment we have made when we now choose not to renew the agreement, says Skagen to Nationen.

NOK 1,- per blessing

Last week, five major mosques and organizations, with a total of 20,000 members, left the council. In a joint message, they expressed concern about the direction IRS has moved in.

Nortura produces around 1400 tonnes of halal meat annually, and IRN earns one Norwegian krone per kilogram of meat that they certify. That means that the Council loses about NOK 1.4 million in revenues, Vårt Land writes.

Nortura will continue to offer halal products in the future.

Halal practice in Nortura implies that the animal is blessed in anesthetized state. The animal and meat are thereafter handled in exactly the same way as other animals and raw materials.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today