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

Prather Ranch Meat Company Gains "Certified Humane" Status for Its Ferry Plaza Store

May 11, 2006 – Prather Ranch Meat Company, a retailer of organic, sustainably produced, pasture-raised beef, buffalo, pork, lamb and vitellone located at San Francisco's Ferry Plaza, is the first retailer in the Bay Area to be "Certified Humane." It follows New York retailer, D'Agostino, becoming the second U.S. retailer to commit to selling products that have been "Certified Humane" by Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC), the Virginia-based non-profit organization that certifies humane treatment of farm animals.

HFAC, together with the California farmers, ranchers, winemakers and retailers who have become "Certified Humane," will hold an informational event today at San Francisco's Ferry Building, Port Commission Hearing Room, at 6 p.m. On hand will be Adele Douglass, Executive Director of Virginia-based Humane Farm Animal Care.  

Unveiled in May 2003, the “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” label 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.

Unveiled in May 2003, the “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” label 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 enough shelter, resting areas and space to support natural behavior.

Prather Ranch Beef was one of the first companies to gain certification for its beef, which is raised on its 11,000-acre ranch north of Mt. Shasta. The Prather Ranch Meat Co. also carries "Certified Humane" pork raised on pasture in Capay Valley, Calif. Its "Certified Humane" lamb, vitellone and buffalo are raised on an all-grass diet by small farmers in Oregon. More information can be found at www.pratherranch.com.

HFAC’s Animal Care Standards were developed by a veritable “Who’s Who” of national and international animal scientists and farm-animal welfare experts. Producer compliance with the HFAC standards is verified through annual on-site visits by HFAC’s third-party inspectors.

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.