Going gaga
She wears skin and meat every day, is known as Lady Gaga and is the top performer among her peers.
And the practice of urban people banding together to buy a beast and have it processed for meat is on the increase, says Hanson.
“It’s really just buying in bulk,” he says. “The freezing works is only paying $3.50/kg. The farmer may be able to sell it to the cow pooling person for $4-$5/kg, so they might be making an extra $2/kg. He might make an extra couple of hundred dollars for himself from one beast.
“The person buying it, instead of paying $15-20/kg is only paying $8-$9… it works out a lot cheaper.”
Following a Sunday television programme on this practice of urban people banding together to buy a beast and have it butchered, the Abattoirs Association and Beef + Lamb NZ have raised safety concerns, the latter saying the practice should be stopped.
But Hanson says cow pooling is safe provided beasts are sent to abattoirs for killing.
“It’s been done for hundreds of years now – killing the beast on the farm and cutting up. That’s probably safe, but if everyone is going to do cow pooling it has to be sent to the abattoirs.”
Sunday made it look as though it was all farm-killed meat, creating confusion, Hanson says.
“But if it goes to abattoirs it’s good as gold. If you kill it on the farm for the farmer he must eat it himself or give it to friends; he’s not allowed to sell or trade.”
Hanson, who runs Netherby Meats, Ashburton, says demand for ‘cow pools’ are on the increase. His business offers butchery, processing and home kills for farmers. But ‘cow pool’ beasts are sent to the abattoir.
“We’ve had heaps of people talking about it; we had 10 last week, 8-10 this week for cow pooling people. But it’s all being sent to the abattoirs so it’s all good to go.”
Hanson says if you aren’t a farmer or farm worker the Animal Products Act states you must be actively engaged in the ‘day-to-day’ maintenance of an animal for 28 days before it is processed.
“That said, it’s potentially a good way to reconnect people to where their food actually comes from,” he says.
“That connection is important when the Sunday Star Times quizzed 21 primary students, all believing cotton socks came from animals. Some thought scrambled eggs came from plants and most were convinced yoghurt grew on trees.”
