Humane Farm Animal Care Certifies Two New Producers for “Certified Humane Raised & Handeld” Label

Jamison Farms, supplier of fresh lamb to many of the nation’s finest restaurants, and Big Sky Ranch, a producer of natural Certified Hereford beef, are the newest companies to be approved by Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) to use the “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” label.

More than 20 companies in the United States and Canada are now certified to use the label, which guarantees to consumers that a producer’s animals are raised humanely.

Certification of each new producer follows rigorous on-site inspections by HFAC veterinarians and animal scientists.  The “Certified Humane” label, unveiled in May 2003, assures consumers that a meat, poultry, egg or dairy product has been produced according to HFAC’s precise standards for humane farm animal treatment. Animals must receive a nutritious diet without antibiotics or hormones and must be raised with shelter, resting areas and space sufficient to support natural behavior.

Jamison Farm, owned and operated by John and Sukey Jamison, is a picturesque 210-acre farm in the rolling Appalachian foothills of Latrobe,  Pa., that produces 5,000 lambs annually. Jamison Farms’ lamb is a favorite of many nationally known restaurants, including New York City’s Le Bernardin and Savoy, and Renoir in Las Vegas.   Its lamb is also used by Equinox Restaurant, the first “Certified Humane” restaurant, in Washington, DC.

As a farmer who has been raising sheep for more than 20 years, I know that the way an animal is treated throughout its life is the most important factor in how it will taste,” said John Jamison.  “We graze our sheep on grass, which is what they are meant to eat, and we oversee their living conditions throughout their lives.”

For nine months of the year, the Jamison’s sheep and lambs roam free, feeding on bluegrass and white clover.  In the winter, they are hand-fed hay and corn. They are never fed hormones, antibiotics, herbicides and insecticides. Their 100-percent natural diet and lifestyle yield meat that is lean, firm, tender, delicate and pink. Consumers can order Jamison Farms lamb through the website:  www.jamisonfarms.com.

At Big Sky Ranch in Sullivan, Wis., Doug Ney and his father-in-law John Lindstedt raise their 100 head of Certified Hereford cattle on pastures, some which have been in the family for more than 20 years.  The Ney’s Hereford cattle are also fed a certified grain without growth hormones or antibiotics. The cattle are cared for by Big Sky employees, many of them family members.

“Consumers are more savvy than ever about their food,” said Ney.  “They want to know how and where the animals were raised. We’re a small-scale producer, so we can guarantee them a beef product that is natural, that tastes great and is raised with personal care and attention.”

Big Sky Ranch is a Registerd Polled Hereford producer with Certified Hereford Beef approval.  It sells its beef at Wisconsin farmer’s markets and through its website, www.naturalbeefatbigsky.com.

Other companies that are certified to use the “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” label include:  Meyer Natural Angus, du Breton Farms, Maverick Ranch Pork, Murray’s Chicken, Nellie’s Nest Eggs, Pederson’s Natural Farms, Prather Ranch, Equinox Restaurant, Alison Family Farms, Nature’s Premier Organic Company, Heritage Acres Pork, Pure Farms Bacon and Flying Pigs Farm.

HFAC is a national nonprofit organization supported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), regional and local animal protection organizations, foundations and individuals. More information can be found at HFAC’s website, www.certifiedhumane.org.

News from Humane Farm Animal Care
P.O. Box 727, Herndon, Virginia 20172 – (703) 435-3883
For Immediate Release
Contact: Michele Wells, Humane Farm Animal Care – (303) 417-0696