Parents deserve answers over halal chicken served in NI school meals, says MP

Inset: DUP Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart

Questions over the sourcing and labelling of chicken served in Northern Ireland schools remain despite fresh assurances from the Education Authority that halal-certified poultry is not being provided as a blanket policy, an MP has said.

Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart is calling for greater transparency for parents and increased use of locally produced food in publicly funded catering, as she prepares to meet Education Authority (EA) officials over its procurement arrangements.

Her intervention follows a new fact file issued by the EA this week after what it described as “inaccurate claims” circulating online about halal-certified chicken in school meals.

The authority has confirmed that some chicken served to pupils on any given day may be halal certified, but says this is because its suppliers cannot meet the quantities required using non-halal chicken alone.

EA says halal-certified chicken is stunned before slaughter

The EA, one of Northern Ireland’s largest catering operations, provides dinners in more than 1,100 schools, employs over 4,500 staff and produces more than 155,000 school meals each day.

Its kitchens order more than 5,000 cases of fresh chicken every month, in addition to frozen chicken.

Fresh chicken is sourced through a Northern Ireland supplier which obtains poultry from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, elsewhere in the UK and international markets.

The EA says suppliers have advised that the volume it requires cannot currently be met solely from non-halal chicken.

Crucially, the authority says the halal-certified chicken it purchases is stunned before slaughter.

It has also stressed that it has never decided to replace non-halal chicken with halal chicken across all schools or introduce blanket halal provision for pupils regardless of faith.

The EA said:

“We are simply buying chicken where it is available – while following all regulations and guidelines on food quality, traceability, animal welfare and procurement.”

It also says there is no additional cost associated with purchasing halal-certified chicken.

Parents can choose alternatives where available

For parents who would prefer their children not to eat chicken dishes which may contain halal-certified poultry, the EA says a large majority of its school kitchens already provide a choice of meals.

Pupils can therefore select an alternative main course where one is available, while the authority says it is working towards extending menu choice across all schools.

The EA argues that restricting procurement exclusively to non-halal chicken would leave it with another choice: reducing or removing chicken dishes from school menus because sufficient quantities could not be secured.

Popular meals including chicken curry and chicken goujons could consequently be affected.

The authority also says the issue is not new. It communicated information on its poultry and meat supplies to all school principals in December 2025 and published details on its website.

Lockhart says transparency questions remain

Mrs Lockhart said she first raised concerns about the issue earlier this year and argued that the EA’s latest clarification does not settle the wider debate over what information parents receive.

“I raised concerns about the use of halal meat in school meals earlier this year, so it is important to make clear that this is not a new issue. The subject has been centre of social media speculation in recent weeks.

“The subsequent clarification from the Education Authority does not remove the need for greater transparency, particularly for parents who want to know exactly what food is being served to their children.”

The MP added:

“Parents have a right to know what is being served to their children. Where meat prepared according to a specific religious method is being provided, there should be clear and accessible information available to parents and guardians.

“I note the Education Authority’s clarification that the halal-certified chicken it purchases is stunned prior to slaughter, and that it is not being provided as a blanket provision across all schools. However, this does not remove the wider questions around transparency, procurement and choice.”

Call to prioritise Northern Ireland produce

Mrs Lockhart, who is also the DUP’s agriculture spokesperson, has widened the issue to include how food is sourced across publicly funded catering and whether greater priority should be given to Northern Ireland produce.

“We must look at the bigger picture. Northern Ireland has an exceptionally strong agri-food sector, with farmers and food producers delivering high-quality, fully traceable produce to markets right across the globe.

“Indeed, the case for prioritising locally produced food over imported produce has never been stronger. The EU’s recent decision to suspend imports of Brazilian beef and poultry should serve as a further warning about the risks associated with relying on imported meat, particularly where there can be differences in production methods, traceability, animal welfare standards and regulatory oversight.”

The EU suspension on Brazilian animal products came into effect on 3 September after Brazil was left off an updated list of countries authorised to export certain animals and animal products to the bloc. The move relates specifically to insufficient guarantees over compliance with EU requirements governing the use of antimicrobial substances in food-producing animals.

Mrs Lockhart continued:

“Where high-quality Northern Ireland produce is available, it should surely be the first choice for publicly funded catering. Buying local means supporting our farmers, processors and rural communities, while giving consumers confidence about where their food comes from and the standards to which it has been produced.

“It is deeply disappointing that our schools, hospitals and wider public sector organisations aren’t doing more to prioritise locally produced food. Government-funded catering should be supporting supply chains wherever possible.

“Parents should not have to discover through media reports or Freedom of Information requests, what is being served in school canteens. There needs to be much greater transparency around sourcing, labelling and procurement.”

MP secures meeting with Education Authority

Mrs Lockhart said she will continue raising the issue with the Department of Finance because of its responsibility for public procurement policy.

She has also confirmed that she has secured a meeting with Education Authority officials in the coming weeks.

“I intend to use the meeting to seek clear answers on the procurement arrangements, the sourcing of meat and poultry, the availability of locally produced alternatives and, crucially, what information is being provided to parents.

“This issue is about much more than halal meat. It is about transparency, consumer choice, animal welfare and whether public money is being used to support our own local economy.”

Mrs Lockhart added:

“As consumers, we should all be supporting local farmers. Northern Ireland produces some of the highest-quality food anywhere in the world, and I want to see our public sector putting locally produced and fully traceable food at the heart of its procurement policies.”

The meeting with EA officials will now provide an opportunity to establish whether further information could be made available to parents about the origin and certification of meat used in individual school meals, while the wider question of how far public procurement can prioritise locally produced food is also set to remain under scrutiny.