KUALA LUMPUR: Traders dealing in imported beef claim they have been struggling to make ends meet ever since the activities of a meat cartel passing off non-certified imported meat as halal beef were exposed recently.
Stung by the financial losses, they are hoping that the authorities will find a speedy solution to the issue.
Mohamed Hussein, 41, who plys his trade at the Chow Kit market in the city, said imported meat traders at the market have found the going tough since the cartel's activities were exposed.
Hussein, a third generation meat seller, said he was the first in his family to sell only imported meat and was now ruing the decision.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, he gestured at the rows of stalls selling imported meat, many bereft of customers.
He also pointed to a slab of beef hanging from a hook at his stall.
"This 8kg slab of imported beef has been available since Sunday. Previously, I could sell about eight kilos a day. Now, I'm lucky if I get to sell a kilo," he said.
Hussein said one of his suppliers was the subject of rumours on social media and claimed that the brand of meat sold was among those linked to the meat cartel.
He said although news reports and even the authorities had yet to name any of the companies involved in the scandal, it had not stopped people from accepting the rumours as fact.
"I've had to field numerous questions from market-goers on my suppliers' halal status. They showed me photos found online supposedly tying my supplier to the cartel.
"I've had to explain that this isn't true and that my supplier is a legitimate one," he said.
Hussein urged the authorities to resolve the issues swiftly so that the people's faith in the halal status of products would be promptly restored.
"For the sake of traders like me, they should publish a list of unscrupulous brands tied to the syndicate to clear the air once and for all," he said.
Another seller, who goes by the nickname Din Daging, said sales were about to pick up from the slump he experienced during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, only to be hit by the latest controversy.
"The pace was just about to pick up when this happened. My customers, even regular ones, are now grilling me over the authenticity of my products' halal status," said the 40-year-old.
The same, however, could not be said for sellers of local beef, who are experiencing a boost in sales.
One trader, who only wished to be known as Nizam, 40, said he used to slaughter three cows which would be enough for a week's worth of sales.
"I now have to slaughter six cows. And I trade six days a week, so I'm selling on average a whole cow a day," he said.
Nizam said some customers complained about the high price of local beef but bought them anyway as they now had doubts over the halal status of imported beef.
In IPOH, meat traders at the Kinta Market fear that the meat cartel expose will trigger a price hike for imported meat.
A trader, who wished to be known as Dass, 40, said the rigorous inspections on imported meats following the expose would cause supply disruptions.
"Suppliers will claim that their containers are held by the authorities for inspection and, therefore, they have had a drop in supply. Eventually, they will increase the meat price, which will affect small traders and consumers," he said.
Dass, who has over 22 years of experience in the meat industry, blamed corruption among enforcement authorities as the root cause for the meat cartel case.
"My father used to warn me never to take meat from countries like Brazil and Argentina because their halal status is dubious.
"In fact, meat traders generally avoid selling beef from Brazil and Argentina. But, what always intrigued me is that these products are often sold in large supermarkets," he said.
"If meat traders like us are aware of this, how come enforcement officers allowed these products to enter the country for 40 years?
However, Dass said, many consumers were still unaware of the meat cartel syndicate, but in the weeks to come the meat industry would suffer the impact.
Another meat seller, Fikri Hariri Lubis Abd Malik, 26, said households generally prefer local beef while restaurants opt for imported meat which is cheaper.
"This was the trend even before the meat cartel issue was exposed. But, I notice customers have grown wary over the halal status.
"Even my regular customers would repeatedly ask me and I assure them the meat is halal... to the best of my knowledge," he said.
Consumers here also voiced their suspicions over imported beef. One consumer, who only wanted to be known as Muhammad Dzein, 25, urged the public to support the local meat industry.
"We do not know from where the meat is imported. The halal status may have been compromised.
"We need to take precautions by buying local beef now.
"Enforcement authorities at the borders must root out illegal meat cartels to prevent this incident from recurring," he said.
Nor Izzani Ahmad Ibrahim, 21, whose family runs a restaurant and provides catering services for weddings, said her customers were omitting beef from their wedding menu.
"Since they are worried over the halal status, they prefer chicken now to beef.
"Those who do order beef insist that we get them local meat only," she said.