All of our beef and lamb products are halal certified. Our venison is not halal certified.
Animal Welfare
Silver Fern Farms Ltd slaughters animals using humane slaughter methods in accordance with New Zealand Animal Welfare Legislation. Plants must operate a humane slaughter programme that is approved by the New Zealand Government veterinarians. The effectiveness of this programme against the New Zealand legislative requirements is verified on an on-going basis by New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (NZMPI) officials.
Halal Slaughter
Silver Fern Farms Ltd can confirm that all animals labelled as Halal are slaughtered by a qualified Muslim slaughter person.
All halal slaughtered animals must be subjected to a reversibly, electrically head-only stun to ensure that they are immediately rendered insensible to pain. The animals must remain in that state until death. Bleeding commences immediately after stunning and the animal remains unconscious and insensible to pain until death by exsanguinations occurs. It is illegal to slaughter animals in New Zealand without them being first rendered insensible to pain through pre-slaughter stunning.
Slaughter is undertaken by competent halal slaughter men who are practising Muslims, and have been assessed as competent to New Zealand Qualification Authority unit standards.
Halal slaughter person slaughters halal animals in accordance with Muslim Sharia Law.
Halal Competencies
An Approved Halal Organisation (AHO) is an Islamic organization listed and approved by the New Zealand Government for the purpose of managing and or supplying services associated
with assessing and approving halal programs and halal premises.
The AHO must be accredited and comply with the requirements as set out in the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Animal Products (Overseas Market Access Requirements
for Halal Assurances) Notice 2014 and any subsequent amendments.
Halal assessment and approval personnel must be employed by an AHO and have gained the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) National Certificate in Meat Processing (Halal)
including the Halal Certification modules.
Halal Identification
All products produced as halal must be positively identified as halal using one of the approved halal marks, in accordance with the New Zealand Animal Products Notice: General Export Requirements for Halal Animal Material and Halal Animal Products. The approved halal marks include the [H] and / or the New Zealand halal logo.