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)?
NZ's meat processing industry could grind to a halt in the next six months unless the Government acts to allow Muslim slaughtermen to come into the country.
More than 90% of New Zealand meat is slaughtered by the halal method and this can only be done by people who are fully qualified to undertake this work.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) chief executive Sirma Karapeeva told Rural News the situation is not great. She recently made an impassioned appeal to Parliament's primary production select committee in a bid to prod the Government into progressing the issue.
About 250 halal slaughterman are employed in the meat industry, almost all of them from overseas. But half of them are on visas which are due to expire in the next six or so months and Karapeeva says when their visas run out, there is no certainty that replacements will be allowed in.
"This is what we are most worried about because halal processing is so critical to what we do and so we are not in a very good position," she says.
The reason that most of the animals are slaughtered by the halal method is to give the meat exporters the flexibility to sell their meat to any country in the world. The halal cut is a critical part in the killing process Karapeeva says.
"Once the animal is deemed to be slaughtered in the halal way, then it can continue through the chain as a halal carcass and can be broken down into various bits and pieces for export," she explains. "If the animal is not slaughtered in the halal manner there is absolutely no way in the ongoing process to designate it halal."
In the past, Muslim slaughtermen have come from places such as Fiji and Malaysia. The MIA also ran a training course for men in Indonesia before the advent of Covid.
Karapeeva says she's been at pains to impress on politicians and officials that the case of the halal slaughtermen is a unique situation and not a case of money or training.
"Ultimately, there is a religious component in this that we can't do anything about," she adds. "We are not going to be setting up a conversion centre to convert good Kiwi blokes into Muslim slaughtermen."
Karapeeva says with the meat processing season just a few months away, meat companies are deeply concerned about the uncertainty of not having Muslim slaughtermen for the full season.
Karapeeva says she's talked to politicians who claim they understand the problems the meat industry is facing, but they don't seem to be able to get their heads around what to do.
"The MIA was very clear and specific about our one request of the Government. Hopefully that will encourage the select committee to put forward a strong case to government and move this along."
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…