KEY POINTS:
Free-range turkeys and hams are "flying out the door" as New Zealanders plan an environmentally-conscious Christmas menu.
The small suppliers of free-range animals dotted around the country say demand this year has outstripped supply as consumers think local and become aware of animal welfare.
Philip Crozier, co-owner of Croziers in Ashburton, said Aucklanders' appetite for free-range turkeys had gone "through the roof".
"They are flying out the door faster than we can supply them and Aucklanders are screaming out for them," he said. "It's fashionable to go free-range."
And cheaper. Free-range turkeys sell for about $10/kg, the same or less than their non-free-range friends in the supermarket.
George Fyfe, co-founder of Freedom Farms, which produces free-range hams, said business had doubled from 2007 and consumers were becoming more discerning.
"Most of the pork consumed in New Zealand is frozen, imported meat. People don't know where it comes from and they don't know that half of it is injected with hormones," he said. "It doesn't say on the packaging and people are starting to get wise to that."
Nicola Deason, owner of Jones the Grocer in Newmarket, said the recession was not affecting business but grocers like hers were taking the hit from rising wholesale prices.
"It's all about the transport costs," she said. "We're not passing it on because we'd price ourselves out of the market, but it is difficult."
However, Federated Farmers would rather people didn't eat turkey or ham at all. They want lamb back on the menu as the country's sheep farming industry hits crisis point, losing 800 sheep farmers last year.
Ponsonby butcher Josh Wallace said it was ethical, not financial reasons why people were buying free-range.
Gavin Cameron, who runs the Blackrock free-range brand, said people took reassurance in the hands-on preparation of turkeys and hams: "These pigs have lived happier lives."
FREE-RANGE PRICES
* Turkey (size 3.5) $35; Non-free-range $39.99 (Countdown, Foodtown, Woolworths).
* Ham $18/kg; Non-free-range $9.99/kg for whole or half legs (Countdown, Foodtown, Woolworths).
