I hope this proves enlightening. Note the point made about the way carcasses are split and sold to multiple end markets. Unavoidably, this means all carcasses will get the halal treatment as they'd need two entire production lines and tracking/labelling systems, which only adds cost.
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What about exemptions for halal slaughter?
In New Zealand there is no exemption to the requirement for pre-slaughter stunning, unlike in some other countries.
(Detail edited; mentions *electrical* stunning)
How much New Zealand meat is "halal", and why?
While there are no official statistics on halal production in New Zealand, nearly all of New Zealand's red meat export slaughter premises are certified to undertake slaughter in compliance with halal requirements.
This gives the New Zealand red meat industry the flexibility to export different cuts from a single carcass to the best-returning markets. The industry currently serves some 120 markets worldwide.
http://www.mia.co.nz/industry_information/FAQ-halal/
To me, the core issue is, if method A causes less animal suffering than method B, then we should ensure method A is prevalent, preferably using legislative powers.
Assertive countries exercise those powers.
Timid countries allow themselves to be trampled over, in the interests of something called "social cohesion", which was all the rage, in 1940, apparently.
A certain faith makes a big thing out of not having its laws, supposedly authored directly by its deity countermanded by laws of earthly authorship. In rhetoric, they particularly do not want the laws of current, or former, western, imperialist, countries to apply to them and, it appears, from the above, that mere "market forces" are enough to push around small countries, like UK and N.Z.