West Coast farm looks a picture on new packaging
Images of Graeme McNabb’s farm on the West Coast will soon be hitting supermarket shelves around the world.
Grass-fed meat out of New Zealand is the “caviar of the future”, says Stu Chapman, who stepped down this month as Elders NZ managing director after 21 years with the company.
Agriculture in NZ has a big future, says Chapman.
“We are a food bowl, there is no doubt,” he told Rural News. “We must protect our biosecurity; we need to protect our borders and the fact that we are seen as a supplier of quality food through different parts of the world.
“We need to make sure we hang onto that NZ Inc brand because we are not a low cost producer any more.
“There are a lot of countries around the world that can produce that same product cheaper than us but we have a reputation as delivering quality safe products.”
Chapman says he can’t remember the last time sheepmeat, beef meat and wool were well ahead of dairy, as they are now.
The red meat sector in NZ has bright prospects. “Grass-fed meat out of NZ is potentially the caviar of the future,” he says.
“So for me the sheep and cattle future looks extremely bright and exciting.”
A verbal stoush has broken out between Federated Farmers and a new group that claims to be fighting against cheaper imports that undermine NZ farmers.
According to the latest ANZ Agri Focus report, energy-intensive and domestically-focused sectors currently bear the brunt of rising fuel, fertiliser and freight costs.
Having gone through a troublesome “divorce” from its association and part ownership of AGCO, Indian manufacturer TAFE is said to be determined to be seen as a modern business rather than just another tractor maker from the developing world.
Two long-standing New Zealand agricultural businesses are coming together to strengthen innovation, local manufacturing capability, and access to essential farm inputs for farmers across the country.
A new farmer-led programme aimed at bringing young people into dairy farming is under way in Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The Government has announced changes to stock exclusion regulations which it claims will cut unnecessary costs and inflexible rules while maintaining environmental protections.

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