'Strict' Muslims shun modern slaughterhouses
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Animal Slaughterhouse (RPH) complex in Cakung, East Jakarta, is yet to close its traditional slaughterhouse as it attempts to stop killing cattle with good old-fashioned knives.
"Those who are fanatic believers say that killing cattle with electricity is not halal," RPH head Cakung Fahruddin Zaid told The Jakarta Post last week, describing why they had to keep the traditional slaughterhouse open.
Halal is a status given foods fit for consumption by Muslims. Cattle must be killed with a sharp knife to limit suffering.
The modern slaughterhouse at RPH uses 1,000 watts of electricity to kill cattle. Formerly, according to Fahruddin, they used guns and a Rp 5,000 bullet.
"But the method was too expensive because a bullet can only be used once and it also destroys edible parts of the cattle's head," he said in reference to the brain and eyes.
Fahruddin said it now cost Rp 25,000 to kill a cow at the RPH Cakung. "It is a bit more expensive compared to other slaughterhouses, but it includes the health examination before and after death, which is important because the meat is for human consumption," he said.
On average, RPH Cakung slaughters 50 cattle per day using the modern method and 125 cattle per day the traditional way.
"Some cattle owners prefer to slaughter their cattle at traditional slaughterhouses because they will get all the 'waste' of the cattle back, like blood and bones," Agribusiness Club secretary general Tony J. Kristianto told The Jakarta Post.
Items like blood and bone are still valuable in most Indonesian markets as people use them for cooking. In RPH Cakung, liquid wastes are processed for biogas while the solid wastes are left for compost.
Tony said that when slaughtering cattle at a traditional slaughterhouse, owners mainly paid with the skin of the animal.
"They do not need the skin anyway, so they loose almost nothing. Skin is worth nothing to them as their business is meat only. That is why cattle owners prefer to use the traditional slaughterhouse," said Tony.
Fahruddin said that RPH Cakung slaughters cattle at 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. to the owners could have their meat ready for when markets open at 5 a.m.
"Most cattle owners want the slaughtering done between 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., just before the markets open, so the blood and water content of the meat is still high," he said
According to the health procedures, meat is considered good when the blood and water content has lessened. But some butchers disagree.
RPH Cakung receives cattle from Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara.