Following Meat Industry Excellence’s (MIE) March 18 Gore meeting, reportedly attended by 1000, last Wednesday’s crowd at Wigram, Christchurch, was estimated at 600.
“We’ve gone further than the Gore meeting in that we asked people to sign an attendance and commitment form,” MIE Canterbury coordinator Blair Gallagher told Rural News.
Those forms were still to be processed late last week, but all bar a handful at the meeting backed a motion that their attendance represented a mandate for MIE to progress its five point plan.
MIE says Silver Fern Farms’ chairman Eoin Garden and Alliance director Murray Taggart spoke from the floor supporting its approach. However, there was no representation from the private meat companies.
Gallagher acknowledges gaining support of one or more of them will be crucial to reach MIE’s target of 80% of red meat processed by one company, but says getting the cooperatives together first would be a start.
“What came out of the meeting was if we can get a [farmer] commitment to a new entity then both cooperatives see it as a no-brainer. Even if it is just the two cooperatives… at least we’ve got something rationalised and hopefully the rest will follow.”
MIE chairman Richard Young says it is “really heartening” that the two cooperatives are supporting the group’s moves, as it is that the April 26 meeting in Feilding – called by John McCarthy – is now part of the MIE movement.
“It will show us if they’re willing to support this in the North Island.”
Details of a meeting at Gisborne in mid-May are being finalised, but if MIE gains support at that and the Feilding meeting – it will be “full steam ahead” with MIE’s plans.
Gallagher stresses the need for change runs from paddock to plate.
“The status quo is not an option. There’s got to be a change of culture across the industry and that includes farmers, processors and marketers. If we all sign up to this then we’ll be able to drive the structure through.”
Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre chairwoman, Jeanette Maxwell, is reserving comment on MIE’s proposals until a survey of all Feds’ members assessing buying and selling behaviours, and views on the meat industry, is complete.
“We need to understand our members’ behaviours, wants and desires; gather the information and go forward. If we go forward without that information there’s a danger we go off on the wrong tangent.”
