OIC/SMIIC halal slaughter requirements for cattle and poultry sit inside OIC/SMIIC 1:2019, General Requirements for Halal Food, because SMIIC has not published a separate slaughter standard. The 2019 text is the second edition, replacing the 2011 original, and plants are certified against it by halal certification bodies accredited to OIC/SMIIC 2:2019.
This guide is for cattle and poultry plant managers, halal assurance staff and exporters supplying markets that recognise OIC/SMIIC certificates.
Which OIC/SMIIC standards apply to a slaughter plant?
SMIIC, the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries, is the standards body of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Its published standards list has no slaughter-specific standard, so a plant works mainly to OIC/SMIIC 1:2019. The other documents in the table matter around it.
| Document | What it covers | Why a slaughter plant cares |
|---|---|---|
| OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 | General requirements for halal food at any stage of the food chain | Holds the slaughter requirements your plant is certified against |
| OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 | Requirements for bodies providing halal certification | Your certification body must meet it |
| OIC/SMIIC 3:2019 | Requirements for halal accreditation bodies | Governs the body that accredits your certifier |
| OIC/SMIIC 23:2022 | Feeding stuffs for halal animals | Relevant where a market or certifier asks about feed |
| OIC/SMIIC 17-1, 17-2 and 17-3:2020 | Halal supply chain: transport, warehousing and retailing | Covers meat after it leaves your dispatch bay |
| OIC/SMIIC 37:2022 | Use of animal bone, skin and hair | Relevant if you sell hides or other by-products into halal chains |
What does OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 require at slaughter?
SMIIC's own summary says the standard sets conditions for the place of slaughter, the equipment, its cleanliness and its control. It also covers slaughter methods and tools, animal welfare as Islam requires, and which types of stunning are acceptable.
The text itself is sold, not public, so the detail below comes from a 2021 peer-reviewed comparison of halal slaughter standards by Abdallah and colleagues in the Journal of Ethnic Foods. They report that OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 requires:
- a slaughter site dedicated only to halal animals and halal slaughter
- tools that cut by the sharpness of their edge, not by weight or pressure
- no halal and non-halal animals on the same line
- ritual cleansing to return equipment to halal status after contact with impure material
The core act is common to the main halal standards. A live animal is cut across the throat, severing the trachea, oesophagus and main blood vessels, and bled fully. Read your purchased copy of OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 for the exact conditions, including who may slaughter, and confirm your certifier's reading of them.
Is stunning allowed under OIC/SMIIC 1:2019?
Only in limited cases, as reported by researchers. Abdallah and colleagues report that the standard says stunning should be avoided except for animals that resist violently. A 2023 review in the journal Foods by Akbar and colleagues reports that only electrical stunning is accepted in those cases and mechanical stunning is not. It adds that current and time are specified for larger animals.
If that reading is right, the OIC/SMIIC rule is stricter than the UAE's. UAE.S 993:2022 does not recommend stunning but allows controlled methods under recorded checks, as our halal slaughter guide for the UAE, GCC and Malaysia explains. A plant supplying both markets needs separate stunning procedures, or one procedure that meets the stricter rule.
What changes between a poultry line and a cattle floor?
The halal rules are the same for both species. The way you prove them is not. The points below are AGS's practical reading, not text from the standard.
On a cattle floor, each animal is handled, checked and cut one at a time. Records follow the individual animal: reception and ante-mortem checks, any stunning with the reason it was needed, the cut, confirmation of bleeding and death before dressing, and the carcass stamp.
A poultry line runs continuously, so control sits in the line itself. Plants record dead-on-arrival birds removed before shackling, line speed against the number of slaughterers, and checks on missed or poorly cut birds. Where a certifier accepts mechanical slaughter, the knife and its operator need their own checks. The Akbar review reports that OIC/SMIIC 1:2019 permits mechanical slaughter.
Both species need segregation through chilling, cutting and dispatch. Meat hygiene runs alongside all of this, and our slaughterhouse hygiene guide covers the Codex rules.
How does a plant get certified to OIC/SMIIC 1:2019?
SMIIC writes standards. It does not certify plants. A halal certification body audits your plant against OIC/SMIIC 1:2019, and that body is itself accredited against OIC/SMIIC 2:2019.
Türkiye's Halal Accreditation Agency (HAK) is one such accreditation body. Its news pages record accreditations granted under OIC/SMIIC 2:2019. The certifiers it lists include bodies based in Australia, South America, South Africa, Ireland and China. In the UAE, EIAC also accredits halal certification bodies to OIC/SMIIC 2:2019.
Recognition still depends on the importing country. The 2021 review notes that states with their own national halal standards, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, may not accept OIC/SMIIC certificates. Check the destination's rules before you choose a certifier. Our guide to OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 for certification bodies explains the certifier's side.
What records do OIC/SMIIC auditors ask to see?
Expect the auditor to watch slaughter and then compare it with your records. This list is AGS's reading of a typical halal audit.
- Slaughterer register with qualifications and training.
- Animal or flock reception and ante-mortem records.
- Stunning records, if used: the reason, settings, and recovery or validation tests.
- Daily slaughter and bleeding checks, with failed carcasses identified and their disposal recorded.
- Cleaning and ritual cleansing records.
- Halal stamping and seal control, traceability and dispatch with the halal certificate.
- Halal committee minutes, internal audits and corrective actions.
How AGS can help
Each kit is a set of editable Microsoft Word documents: a halal manual, procedures, forms, records, checklists, guidance and training material.
- SMIIC HAS - Cattle Slaughter: 45 documents
- SMIIC HAS - Poultry Slaughter: 45 documents
Frequently asked questions
Is SMIIC writing a separate slaughter standard?
Not yet. SMIIC's halal food committee, TC1, has a working group on halal animal welfare and lists a new work item on rearing, transporting and handling poultry and livestock.
Does SMIIC issue halal certificates?
No. Certificates come from certification bodies. SMIIC publishes the standards they work to.
Is an OIC/SMIIC certificate accepted in the UAE or Malaysia?
Each market sets its own rules. The UAE applies UAE.S 993:2022 with certifiers registered with MoIAT, and Malaysia approves overseas plants through JAKIM and DVS.
Does the 2011 edition still apply?
No. SMIIC lists the 2011 general guidelines as replaced by OIC/SMIIC 1:2019.
AGS provides independent documentation toolkits. This guide and the kits listed are not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by SMIIC, the OIC, HAK, EIAC or any halal certification body. They do not guarantee any certification or market approval.
Reviewed October 2026. Facts checked against the sources current at publication.
