BALLARAT meat supplier Mega Meats has been attacked on social media and accused of indirectly funding terrorism because the company has halal accreditation.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mega Meats general manager Paul Parker was disappointed by the comments.
"This is a form of ignorant bullying against a business that has done everything right,"he said.
"People are losing the point of what we do. This has been blown out of proportion in a big way."
Comments on the Mega Meats Facebook page included "I'm not buying from ya shop ever ya terrorist lover", "traitors" and "what a shame that you have catered for a few".
The comments have since been taken down by company management.
Mega Meats has been a part of the Ballarat community for almost a decade, giving jobs to more than 50 people.
The Mega Meat parent company, Sinclair Meats, has been in operation since the 1990s. Sinclair Meats HR manager Matthew Fontana defended the halal process .
"It is processed in the exact same way. It doesn't cost any more. The only change they make is that the bloke that stands there when they do the killing is halal accredited," he said.
Mr Fontana also stressed halal accreditation created greater market access for meat suppliers.
This means more exports and higher profits for Australian farmers.
Halal is the Arabic word for "permitted". It is often used to refer to meat products that have been prepared in accordance with Islamic law.
Almost all abattoirs in Australia operate with halal accreditation.