NZ meat industry loses $1.5b annually to non-tariff barriers
Wouldn't it be great if the meat industry could get its hands on the $1.5 billion dollars it's missing out on because of non-tariff trade barriers (NTBs)?
Last month's Red Meat Sector Conference was very much orientated to looking to the future - especially in the new pandemic environment.
Labour shortages, supply chain disruptions and repositioning NZ to take advantage of the new environment were some of the topics canvassed. There was a special session for women and a panel of young people who gave their take on the future.
Celebrity farmer and Hawea Station owner Geoff Ross spoke of how excited he was for the future and put in a plug for regenerative agriculture. He also suggested the term 'red meat' should be replaced by 'nutrient rich meat'.
MIA chairman John Loughlin spoke of the new wave of collaboration in the sector - this was marked at the conference with the holding of a joint MIA and Beef+Lamb NZ board meeting to thrash out strategic issues for the future. Loughlin says the conference was good because the speakers challenged some of the delegates' thinking.
"Farming can be part of restoring the planet and move from being part of the problem to being part of the solution," he says.
"Farming can be part of restoring the planet and move from being part of the problem to being part of the solution," he says.
"We need to work out how best we articulate that message and take control of the narrative and define our own measured outcomes. We are looking at finding intelligent ways to find better outcomes rather than the unintelligent processes presently coming out of the bureaucracy."
Meanwhile, Beef+Lamb NZ chairman Andrew Morrison told delegates that farming is being challenged in a way that it hasn't since the economic resets of the 1980s. He says the sheep and beef sector has a history of innovation that has led to continuous productivity gains over the decades.
Morrison says in the recent Covid crisis the industry has again shown its agility and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. He added that the issue of sustainability is a global one - not a local one.
"A lot of people think this is the Government doing something but the Government is simply reflecting the messages coming back from the consumers," Morrison says.
"If you want to position your products in the market... people are going to be asking about your climate change, water and people, and we need to just get ahead of these issues."
Morrison says it's up to all those in the primary sector, including farmers, to be articulating these messages.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…