There is no labelling required for domestic sales of halal meat in New Zealand.
A Horowhenua man wants to know why New Zealand's meat industry only caters towards one religious point of view.
Ken Riddle contacted the Horowhenua Chronicle to express his surprise that the majority of meatworks in New Zealand were halal only.
Halal means "permissible" in Arabic and in reference to food and drink means that it complies under the guidelines of Islamic law, an essential part of the Muslim faith.
In slaughter, the animal dies from the "halal cut" to the throat, is faced towards Mecca and killed in the name of Allah by a Muslim slaughterman. In New Zealand, animals are unconscious, complying with both animal welfare and halal requirements.
Mr Riddle said he's had a journey of discovery about the industry, which he believes most Kiwis aren't aware of.
It all started with a cow getting on in years and after consultation with the vet, Mr Riddle made the difficult decision to send her to the freezing works.
However, being a devout Christian, he did not want his cow killed in halal fashion as he felt it compromised his own religious beliefs.
He said he also did not feel comfortable funding another religion.
After making many calls to local freezing works and several more around New Zealand, he could not find a single place to sell his cow for non-halal slaughter.
"I did not realise that our country had been taken over to this extent to accommodate a religion," he said.
Sirma Karapeeva, Trade and Economic Manager for the Meat Industry Association confirmed that the majority of plants certified to slaughter sheep and cattle for export are halal-certified.
"Halal certification provides the plant with the flexibility to export different cuts from a single carcass to both halal regulated and non-regulated markets around the world," he said.
There are a small number of abattoirs that only process for the domestic market. These plants are not halal-certified, Mr Karapeeva said.
"Halal-certified plants generally prefer to process all animals as halal, as cuts from a non-halal carcass can only be sent to a much smaller number of markets and customers than cuts from a carcass that has been processed as halal, which reduces the value of the carcass."
Mr Karapeeva said it is important to note that all commercial slaughter plants must comply with New Zealand's animal welfare legislation, specifically the Animal Welfare (Commercial Slaughter) Code of Welfare 2010, which requires that all animals are stunned before slaughter.
In New Zealand there is no exemption to the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning, unlike in some other countries.
Minister for Food Safety Jo Goodhew said the primary reason for New Zealand's widespread halal certification is significant global demand.
"In 2014 we exported 209,600 tonnes of Halal-certified meat to 76 countries, compared with 103,000 tonnes to 51 countries in 2003. For the year ended September 30, 2014, the red meat sector accounted for 13 per cent of New Zealand's goods exports, and was worth a total of $6.65 billion."
The world-wide halal food market has dramatically increased in the past decade, as reflected by our halal exports, she said.
"Its global value is now estimated at more than US$600 billion annually or approximately 16 per cent of the entire global food industry. For example, China has approximately 23 million Muslims, despite not being a traditional halal market."
Halal products extend beyond meat, to pet food, lifetsyle, tourism and more. Many major brands, including Masterfoods, Cadbury and Nestle are also halal-certified.
The percentage of halal-certified products, including meat, on New Zealand's supermarket shelves are unknown as there is currently no published data for domestic sales. There is also no halal labelling required, a move which the meat industry said was strategic and not required under current legislation.
"Labels focus on protecting health and safety, it does not include requirements that relate to people's personal values or ethics such as religion. We understand this was a deliberate approach taken by New Zealand and Australian governments," Mr Karapeeva said.
Ms Goodhew said the decision on whether or not to carry out Halal meat processing, or any other cultural / religious requirements, is a commercial decision taken by exporting companies.
Mr Riddle believes the lack of labelling and clarity for halal products to be biased and unethical.
There are jobs in New Zealand where only one religious group can be employed, he said.
"I thought we were supposed to be secular."
Mr Riddle was unable to source a non-halal facility that would accept his older cow and chose home kill, a decision he said was difficult to make.
"It's not a decision to be taken lightly when you have other stock. We were forced into it."