Regulating Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs) in Enhancing Sustainability of Halal Food: Malaysian Experience
Siti Sarah Sulaiman
Faculty of Law, Universiti Teknologi MARA
Abstract
Agriculture has been defined as the cultivation of land and breeding of animals and plants to provide food, fiber, medicinal plants and other products to sustain and enhance life or in more specific for human consumption. Therefore, this study attempts to prove that sustainability of halal food is also depending on the continuation of its natural resources which is agriculture farm products including fruits, vegetables and animals. Thus, a regulatory framework is needed to enforce and regulate good agricultural practice in ensuring sustainability of halal food. One of the standards adopted by Malaysian farmers is the Good Agriculture Practices (GAPs). The finding reveals that GAPs is not compulsory on all farmers despite its efficiency in ensuring food quality, food safety and protection of environment. Therefore, it should be reiterated that this study proposes for a regulatory framework to enforce GAPs on all farmers. In achieving the objective of this study, content analysis of legal data, the GAPs and interview with officers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Basic Industry was conducted.
Keywords: GAPs, Halal food, Law, Sustainability
