Hub farms, focus groups for red meat farmers
A hub farm in each of Beef + Lamb NZ’s seven regions and more focus groups are being rolled out for the red meat sector this year.
“But it is going to require focus and there will be some hard decisions,” he warned.
“As an organisation, we are now trying to constantly look ahead at the challenges coming, do the research about those challenges and come up with strategies to influence the responses and outcomes to them.”
He claimed that BLNZ saw the potential rise of alternative proteins and released a major report last year… “before this new product and potential competition was on most NZer’s consciousness”.
“We are now doing research to understand the public’s perceptions of our sector, understand our environment footprint and measure our net carbon footprint.”
He says meat’s role in human diets is under scrutiny because of environmental and animal welfare concerns.
“But there is also growing demand for grass-fed, naturally raised beef and lamb which is what NZ produces. We are uniquely placed to capitalise on these growing trends and more strategically position our product in the market.”
Morrison says last year’s release of BLNZ’s environment strategy had been “invaluable” in engaging with the Government and other stakeholders about potential policy changes with respect to climate change, water and biodiversity. “For me, our Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand and the environment are the two most important pillars for our successfully positioning our sector going forward.”
