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Frequently Asked Questions

Silver Fern Farms, is New Zealand’s leading producer and exporter of premium quality, 100% grass-fed lamb, beef and venison products. When you buy Silver Fern Farms' products, you are buying nutritious and delicious, sustainably and ethically raised grass-fed red meat from family farms, where animals have the ability to roam and graze freely. We go beyond grass-based farming, treating our animals with the utmost care and respect. We are an industry leader in both environmental sustainability and the humane treatment of animals, and our red meat is minimally processed, with no added growth hormones.

The care and expertise of our farmers in New Zealand is reflected in the quality and flavor of the premium quality grass-fed red meat we produce at Silver Fern Farms. A diet of nutrient-rich grass produces natural marbling and gives a fine, delicate texture. The result is the finest quality, nutritious and delicious, tender red meat.

Here at Silver Fern Farms, we are all about creating goodness from the farms the world needs. New Zealand’s grass-based system optimizes natural resources and uses low-intensity farming practices to minimise environmental impact. Using a natural abundance of rainwater to grow grass, farmers optimize livestock to match the natural grass growth curve.

No, animals are not given growth hormones. Silver Fern Farms does not process cattle treated with hormone growth promotants. New Zealand regulations do not permit lamb or deer to be treated with hormone growth promotants.

Some vaccines are used in New Zealand to protect livestock against herd disease or illness. Vaccines are prescribed by a veterinarian and records are kept.

New Zealand does not use any mRNA based vaccines in animal husbandry practices.

New Zealand farms apply withholding periods for livestock that have been treated with any medicine, including vaccines. A withholding period is the minimal time frame at which there are no longer there any chemical residues remaining in the animal.

The farms that supply beef and lamb for our ecommerce product range are part of a specific Silver Fern Farms farming program. Livestock from this program are fully tracked and traceable for all their lives, and this traceability system enables us to validate and guarantee that the beef and lamb products in this range have never received any antibiotics at any point in their lives.

Our grass-fed, free-range farming method means antibiotics are rarely required. If an animal from these farms is unwell and needs antibiotics, they are treated, however any animals that receive antibiotic treatment will then be ineligible for our US retail farming program.

Our venison is grass-fed, and raised using free-range farming methods. This means antibiotics are rarely required and used solely in isolated cases, for therapeutic reasons.

For venison sold on our US eCommerce website, when a remedy is administered to an animal, there is a period of time, called a withholding period, within which the animals may not be slaughtered for human consumption. After this period has elapsed, the New Zealand regulatory authority has determined that there will be no chemical residues left in the animals’ system and the meat is safe to be slaughtered and consumed.

Yes, our animals are grass-finished. We use the term '100% Grass-fed and Pasture-Raised' which means they only eat grass for the whole of their lives, and are raised on open pastures - never in feedlots.

Silver Fern Farms does not processes cattle animals treated with hormone growth promotants. New Zealand regulations do not permit lamb or deer to be treated with hormone growth promotants.

Silver Fern Farms has a portfolio of premium quality, grass-fed red meat products available across the USA. Our products can be purchased through foodservice businesses, at grocery outlets, and ordered directly from us on our ecommerce store. The product attributes and claims are specific to each range and claims may vary depending on where you purchase them. The FAQs on this page are specific to the products sold on our ecommerce store.

Orders

Orders are unable to be modified once it is out for delivery, however please reach out to our customer support team as soon as possible and we will do our best to support you.

Watch this short video to learn how to apply a discount code against your order.

We deliver nearly everywhere nationwide across the continental United States, however due to the perishability of our products we are currently unable to ship to Alaska or Hawaii.

To ensure this process of reporting faulty product is as efficient as possible please contact our Customer Services team with these details:

Your order details

Date product arrived to you

Product batch details

Short description of what is faulty with your product

Clear photos of the product showing the fault or issues

We work hard to ensure our products arrive to you in excellent condition, our Customer Services team are here to help you with your query. Please contact them at SupportUSA@silverfernfarms.com.

Your meat should still be frozen or refrigerator cold (below 40 degrees as measured with a food thermometer) when it arrives to you. Please take it from the insulation packaging and put it in your freezer or refrigerator as soon as possible. If your order is still partially frozen or very cold to the touch, like you’ve just taken it out of the fridge, it is safe to re-freeze.

1. Why does Silver Fern Farms use dry ice in shipping?

We use dry ice to maintain the optimal temperature of our meat products during transit. This ensures that your order arrives fresh and at the highest quality, regardless of the weather or distance.

2. What should I do if there is still dry ice in the package when it arrives?

If there is dry ice remaining, do not touch it directly with bare hands as it can cause severe burns. Allow the dry ice to sublimate in a well-ventilated area, away from pets and children, until it completely disappears. Always handle dry ice with gloves or a towel. Do not dispose of it in a closed container, as the gas can build up and cause an explosion. Instead, place the dry ice in a well-ventilated area at room temperature, where it will safely sublimate into carbon dioxide gas. Keep dry ice away from children and pets: Dry ice can cause burns and is dangerous if ingested.

3. What if my package arrives and the dry ice has completely evaporated?

If the dry ice has completely evaporated but the products are still cold, your items are safe and fresh. We use sufficient dry ice to maintain low temperatures throughout the shipping process.

Delivery

Absolutely. You will receive an email with a tracking number from FedEx after the order ships which will display the estimated delivery date and allow you to monitor delivery progress within the FedEx platforms. You can also access this information under when you are logged into our website under ‘My Account’.

Notice: Holiday schedule update, please visit our Shipping and Return Policy page for adjusted delivery details.

We aim to deliver your order promptly and in excellent condition. Delivery times depend on your location and the shipping option you select. To ensure orders are received before the weekend, we pack and ship orders out from Monday through to Wednesday every week, (excluding Public Holidays). Orders typically arrive Tuesday to Friday.

If an order is placed after the cut off, we pack and ship it out the following Monday (to avoid it being delayed and held at a FedEx facility over the weekend).

If you have not received your order 5 days after your shipping confirmation email, please contact our customer service team for further support - Click the 'Support' button on the website, or please email SupportUSA@silverfernfarms.com.

Orders are shipped through FedEx, with rates based on delivery location and order value. The shipping rates below apply to the total order value after discounts are deducted. Orders over $499 typically need to be split into multiple boxes to ensure safe and timely delivery, resulting in extra charges. The maximum order value is $800. For orders exceeding $800, please place two separate orders.

Zone 1 -Standard Shipping Rates:

$7.99 flat rate for orders ranging from $200 to $499.99.
$24 flat rate for orders below $199.99.
$29 flat rate for orders ranging from $500 to $800.

Zone 2 -Standard or Express Shipping Rates:

Zone 2 Delivery Options:	Orders ranging from $200 to $499.99	Orders below $199.99	Orders ranging from $500 to $800
Standard (FedEx Express 3-day)	$29	$70	$99
Express (FedEx Express 2-day)	$49	$90	$129

For more details on our shipping zones and policies, please visit our Shipping and Return Policy page.

All orders should be retrieved as soon as possible after they have been delivered. We pack the shipment with enough dry ice to facilitate the delivery, but packages should not remain outside or unrefrigerated longer than 2-4 hours after delivery. When retrieved within that time window, your meat should arrive refrigerator cold—below 40°F as measured with a food thermometer.

To ensure this process of reporting faulty product is as efficient as possible please contact our Customer Services team with these details:

Your order details

Date product arrived to you

Product batch details

Short description of what is faulty with your product

Clear photos of the product showing the fault or issues

We work hard to ensure our products arrive to you in excellent condition, our Customer Services team are here to help you with your query. Please contact them at SupportUSA@silverfernfarms.com.

If your order arrives damaged please take a photo of the damage and send to our Customer Service team. Please include your email address, your order number and the item/s missing or damaged from your box and one of our friendly team will be in touch to remedy this for you. Please contact us at SupportUSA@silverfernfarms.com.

Returns

As we are shipping perishable product(s) we are therefore not able to accept product returns. Unlike items that have a longer shelf life, items that are perishable cannot be restocked or resold. If you are not completely satisfied with your Silver Fern Farms products, please contact us at SupportUSA@silverfernfarms.com.

Product

If your order is still partially frozen or very cold to the touch, like you’ve just taken it out of the refrigerator, it is safe to re-freeze.

All Silver Fern Farms products will have an expiry period stated on the product label. This expiry period should be followed and the product should be consumed prior to this date for the best quality experience.

Once thawed, if the product is kept refrigerated it should be used within two to three days, otherwise consume on the day of thawing.

All of our beef and lamb products are halal. Silver Fern Farms Venison is not slaughtered according to Muslim Sharia Law.

Silver Fern Farms Beef and Lamb is slaughtered in New Zealand by qualified Muslim Halal slaughtermen in accordance with 'Muslim Sharia Law.”

Silver Fern Farms Halal product packed in the US follows procedures that separate our halal product from non-halal product to maintain the halal integrity.

New Zealand has very strict rules for Halal slaughter and labelling of products. Halal products can only be certified if they are fully compliant with the Halal regulatory standards which have been prepared and agreed between New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Approved Halal Organisations (AHO). MPI verifiers supervise processing at all New Zealand Halal certified facilities. AHO auditors also audit our processing sites to certify religious slaughter practices.

The Halal regulatory framework for Halal meat production sets out the standards and requirements for: Halal auditing and certification agencies (Approved Halal Organizations) Halal slaughtermen, Halal slaughter and product traceability systems at processing plants.

When opening your vacuum-packed Silver Fern Farms meat, you may notice a slightly sour smell. This is a natural occurrence when the meat is preserved in vacuum packaging. This is called confinement odour and should dissipate within a few minutes of opening the package.

Net Carbon Zero

'Net Carbon Zero' is when emissions and removals (projects or activities that are directly linked to how the product is made, actively remove CO₂ from the atmosphere) equate to a zero balance. It would be like when you have the same amount of money in cash or assets as you own in debt, you have a zero balance. To explain it another way, it’s when the Greenhouse gas emissions occurring in the production of each kilogram of meat are measured and balanced out by an equivalent amount of removals (created by woody vegetation growing on the farms that supply us). To achieve and maintain our certification these emissions and removals are independently measured and verified annually. Our certification also requires us to actively work across all areas of our business, to measure and reduce emissions over time.

The total emissions generated by each kilogram of product are independently measured across the whole life of the product, from farm to the consumer’s plate. This includes calculating the actual emissions of animals as they grow, from when they are born, to when they are killed. We collect real data from our supplying farms, the distance that farms are from our sites, all of the energy used in creating the product, the transport of product to store, cooling in the store, cooking, eating and disposal of the packaging at home. All of these measurements make up a product footprint report, that’s a key part of us being able to certify the exact amount of emissions associated with each kilogram of product. We do exactly the same thing for the trees occurring on the farms that supply the product, estimating how much carbon dioxide they are actively removing from the atmosphere each year. We do this by understanding what kind of trees they are, how large an area it is and how old the trees are. We have trained software to recognize these areas on satellite maps of our farms, then our farmers check the maps to make sure our identification of the types of vegetation were correct. This methodology follows an International Standards Organisation (ISO) approach and while we collect the data, the reports are generated independently and then audited and verified by an independent auditor Toitū Envirocare.

Toitū Envirocare is New Zealand’s internationally recognised environmental certification organisation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of a New Zealand Government Crown Research Institute, Landcare Research. Toitū provide independent certification and verification of our Net Carbon Zero system, our processing emissions, and our Environmental Management System.

We use independently verified and approved methodology to remotely identify the type, age and size of vegetation occurring on our suppliers’ farms. We then work with our farmers to ground truth the data. Each farmer is required to check each area and approve whether it is included or not. We then use internationally approved carbon accounting to assign a CO₂ absorption number to each one of those mapped vegetation areas. We then legally contract and purchase this carbon dioxide, as a service from farmers, so that we can have enough CO₂ removals to match the emissions from the meat produced. This rewards our farmers for their environmental management practices, and by requiring farmers to use their carbon payments on their own farms for additional planting, predator control and Biodiversity enhancement work, we are enhancing on farm environments.

Not at all, our animals are raised with a light touch, resulting in the finest quality, nutritious and delicious, tender red meat.

We believe that by requiring our participating farms to match the product’s emissions, rather than purchasing offsets outside of the products boundary (such as investing in a windfarm) we deliver a range that authentically incentivises sustainable farming practice.

Carbon offsets are a way to compensate for carbon emissions by investing in projects that cancel out the equivalent emissions of CO₂ from a certain activity. In-setting (or removals) recognises projects or natural sequestration occurring within the lifecycle of the range. For Silver Fern Farms that means not just investing in any project, but recognising and incentivising woody vegetation that removes the equivalent amount of CO₂ within a defined boundary of where the activity took place, in our case, only from our supplier's farms.

Cattle, sheep and deer (ruminants) all produce biogenic methane emissions (mainly by burping) as they turn grass into energy that helps them grow or produce meat and milk. Silver Fern Farms’ Net Carbon Zero range account for 100% of end-to-end emissions (including all those burps). To ensure that we can work towards not just accounting for those emissions but actively reducing them, Silver Fern Farms is a partner with the New Zealand Government and other leading primary sector companies, in AgriZero, a major initiative to find, develop and adopt real solutions to reduce the amount of methane each animal produces, without impacting on their welfare or the taste, quality or safety of the meat. Read more about the activities of here: AgriZero NZ

Yes, and our measurements are undertaken and verified by an independent party. They cover the whole life and care of our products end-to-end including from farm, processing, shipping, right to the consumers home, including disposal of packaging.

More than 95 percent of emissions occur on farm. The transport and packaging are therefore very minor contributors to the overall carbon footprint but are still fully accounted for and offset via removals on the farms the animals were raised. Our farms are located in New Zealand where we are lucky to have a unique environment. We strongly believe that cattle on pasture especially those 100% Grass-Fed, lead happier, healthier, and more natural lives, and produce a higher quality and much more sustainable product.

Our certification for a net carbon zero range relies on us being able to manage all of our emissions and removals within the lifecycle of the product. We believe that by requiring our participating farms to locally match the product’s own emissions with carbon absorbing vegetation on their own farms. As a result, we then deliver a range that authentically incentivizes sustainable practice on farm now and into the future.

Toitū Envirocare provide annual audits and certification of Net Carbon Zero. The emissions associated with each pack of the Net Carbon Zero by Nature* range are independently calculated by AgResearch, every year, using the previous year’s real data. We measure the vegetation occurring on the farms at least annually using the latest satellite data. If the carbon footprint changes, we will update our website after each certification is issued.

*Climate impacts in relation to the raising of animals have been addressed in accordance with the Toitū net carbonzero standard. Refer to silverfernfarms.com/carbon for further information.

Carbon Neutral can cover a smaller defined part of a business operations and typically accounts for CO₂ emissions only, but not other greenhouse gases. It is often associated with an organization’s approach to managing emissions rather than a specific product certification. It can mean that a company has managed to reduce its actual emissions to zero without using offsets or removals, but there are very limited products or companies that are able to do that.

Net Carbon Zero means that a company reduces all greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain, that it has accounted for all of these and has provided enough offsets or identified removals to give a net carbon zero balance.

The important part of any claim a company is making is that it has some form of independent measurement and ideally a recognized certification using an internationally accepted methodology for carbon accounting.

Learn more about our commitment to climate innovation as part of our wider sustainability action plan, here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Orders

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Our Range

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I buy my red meat from Silver Fern Farms?

What makes Silver Fern Farms’ grass-fed meat different?

How does grass-based farming work in New Zealand?

Are the animals given any growth hormones/HGP (hormone growth promotants)?

Are your animals vaccinated?

Does your beef & lamb contain antibiotics?

Is there any antibiotics in your venison?

Your cows are grass-fed but are they grass-finished?

Are your animals given growth hormones?

I've bought your product elsewhere, not off your ecommerce website and the claims are different?

Orders

Can I change an existing order?

How do I apply a discount code?

Where do you deliver?

What do I do if I receive a faulty item(s) in my order?

How can I tell if my meat arrived in good condition?

Dry Ice handling information:

Delivery

Am I able to track my order?

How long will my order take to arrive?

What is the cost of delivery?

Do I need to be home when my shipment arrives?

I have received the wrong products in my box – what should I do?

My box arrived damaged - what should I do?

Returns

Do you accept returns?

Product

Can I refreeze the products after they have been thawed?

How long can I store my meat frozen before consuming?

How long does the product keep for once defrosted?

Is your beef, lamb and venison Halal?

How can I be sure that your Beef & Lamb products are Halal?

I’m confused about your Halal Certification; can you please clarify further?

What do the New Zealand Halal regulatory standards cover?

Why does my meat sometimes have an odd scent once opened?

Net Carbon Zero

What is Net Carbon Zero?

How is Net Carbon Zero calculated?

Who is Toitū?

How do you know the vegetation on the farms that supply the product are removing enough C02 to balance the emissions from the product?

Does making the range Net Carbon Zero affect the taste or texture of the meat?

How does your approach differ than any other Carbon claims?

What is the difference between offsetting and insetting (removals)?

Have you stopped the animals from burping?

Does it really include all the emissions on the farm right through to the shipping from New Zealand to the USA and even the packaging being disposed of?

How can your range be carbon neutral if it is shipped from New Zealand?

Why does the money for the carbon go back to the farm in New Zealand and not used to offset emissions in the USA?

How often are the carbon emissions and removals checked and updated?

What is the difference between Carbon Neutral and Net Carbon Zero?

What other things are Silver Fern Farms doing to measure, declare or to help mitigate or reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions?