New Zealand lamb’s reputation in the UK may have been dented following a newspaper report about disclosure of the halal practice.

Up to 70 per cent of New Zealand lamb exports are halal – meaning the animals are slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law.

The Daily Mail reported last week that some restaurant chains were serving customers halal meat without their knowledge, and retail packages weren’t clearly labelled as halal.

Don Carson of New Zealand Islamic Meat Management says halal-killed animals here are all stunned before slaughter, and any animal welfare concerns are unfounded.

“I think there is pretty fundamental misunderstanding about what halal slaughter is.

"There are claims in some areas that it is a cruel process – it is not."

"From an animal welfare point of view, it adheres to the strictest standards, in fact, it exceeds those standards, it involves the stunning of the animal before slaughter – it is utterly insensible."

The report has brought many comments of concern from consumers, but Don Carson says the issue is mostly a misunderstanding.

"I won’t go so far as to say there is a great clash of civilisations, but I think there is some mutual misunderstandings as to what halal slaughter is about.

"If anybody really has concerns, they should go back to the agencies who actually do the slaughtering, and speak to them.

"They would gain a greater appreciation of what really happens, rather than what some people imagine happens.”