BBC Asian Network reported that this farm shop in Lancashire was on the brink of shutting down before its owners made the switch to Halal meat. The catch is, they’re not Muslims themselves.
According to an article on the BBC, the owners had their farm and shop, Ward Field Farm, certified by the Halal Monitoring Committee.
The owner, Peter Bartley, made the switch after the suggestion of their friend Tariq and his wife, who suggested there was a demand for halal meat suppliers in the area. However his friend received anti-Muslim abuse on social media soon after and Bartley had made police reports in which the police are treating as hate crime.
The farm had to react to the hate messages that it received.
Despite that, business, according to the BBC, is brisk for Peter Bartley, showing the demand for halal meat in Lancashire is high, even with people coming from as far as Leicaster to buy their meats for Eidul-adha.
We’re lucky that in Singapore and the region, halal meat is easy to find.
Watch the video to find out more about Ward Field Farm
Despite the abuse, Peter said he is “overwhelmed” with the popularity of his produce with local Muslims and now all the meat he sells is halal.
One customer, Dawood Entwistle, travelled more than 30 miles to buy food from the Bartleys for the holy festival of Eid-al-Adha which began on Friday.
“My friend sent me an email saying this farmer’s started diversifying into halal meat,” he said. “You’ve got to support these people.”
“He’s made an effort and that’s why I’ve made the effort. That’s why I’ve travelled up.”
H/T: BBC
