Botswana Proposal To Force Sale of Non-Halal Meat Stirs Controversy

Gaborone's Sunday Standard reports today that Botswana's attorney general began in October to draft legislation to compel major food retailers to provide a section of their stores in which non-halal food is sold. At issue is the difficulty that small farmers in majority-Christian Botswana are having in selling their poultry to retail outlets. Many of those food stores are owned by Muslims and the Qur'an forbids Muslims making profits through selling non-halal products. Requiring them to do so would pose substantial problems under Botswana's Constitution (Sec. 11) that protects freedom of religion. The Botswana Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Manpower (BOCCIM) says that the real problem is that many small farmers observe deficient hygiene standards and are unable to assue a consistent supply. Some retailers are using halal as an excuse not to purchase from them rather than dealing with the underlying issues. BOCCIM suggests government aid to small farmers to improve production reliability and to set up slaughtering facilities nearby.