A halal meat wholesaler who six months ago slammed the Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC) has now joined the group himself.

Abdul Jabbar of Chaudhry Halal Meats this month became the third wholesaler in the North West to become HMC certified. But his meat will come from the first North West-based HMC certified slaughterhouse.

The HMC last month announced their 20th certified establishment in the region. But a wholesaler, who supplies more than 45 shops in the North West could see other bigger companies joining the HMC bandwagon.

In our December issue Mr Jabbar told of the HMC's tactics and how the group was casting unnecessary doubt in the minds of customers.

On it's website HMC outlines the following factors it has adopted: that manual slaughter be by a Muslim (non-mechanical); that there are verbal recitation of Allah's name (no blessed blades to pre-recorded bismillah) and that it should be ensured that the minimum amount of of vessels are severed. The group claims that methods of halal slaughter need to be more stringent than those adopted by the more widespread Halal Food Authority (HFA).

In December Mr Jabbar said, "The HMC is a private organisation that charges businesses and we feel they are doing it for the sake of money.

"And they only seem to pop up at Ramzan time when they know they will have maximum impact."

Now, having joined the group itself Mr Jabbar explained, "I still stand by what I said.

"I lost nine shops in that time - all due to them being pressurised by their customers.

"People were coming in and telling them they were getting their food from elsewhere because they weren't HMC certified.

"Shopkeepers have been left with no choice either because they have been forced into a corner.

"What does one expect me to do? We slaughter our meat in the Lake District and the HMC now has an inspector who visits us once a day to inspect all the meat."

The HMC inspections only cover lamb and not beef.

Chaudhry Halal Meats is not the first wholesaler to become HMC certified. Two other wholesalers already distribute to shops in the North West but their meat is supplied from a Yorkshire- based slaughterhouse.

Maulana Hanif Dudhwala the regional head of the HMC said, "We respect what Mr Jabbar has to say.

"But the community has spoken and it is due to their concerns these major changes are taking place.

"Hopefully with a North West-based slaughterhouse coming on board on we can move forward.

"I would again stress that the HMC is concerned only with ensuring that we as a community are getting the best service when it comes to halal certified meat "This is not a money making thing at all. The HMC executive committee are all volunteers and do this work in their own time.

"This is simply a case of customers wanting to be fully aware and concerned that the meat they are buying is from a from fully halal certified method."

The HMC now has 19 fully certified establishments or suppliers in Blackburn, six in Bolton and two in Preston.