Meat sector speaking out in manifesto

Read more about the manifesto here.

Beef+Lamb NZ chair Andrew Morrison says sometimes people take the industry for granted and don’t realise how significant its contribution is to New Zealand’s local and export economy.

The manifesto, which has been put together jointly by B+LNZ and the Meat Industry Association, is designed to show the extent of the industry from behind the farm gate through to the processing and exporting business.

Morrison says the industry is a “quiet achiever” and may be sometimes seen “as a bunch of people in homespun jerseys with some barking dogs”.

However, he says, in reality the red meat sector is a finely tuned, successful business.

“When you look at the productivity gains the sector has made, the market diversification, the training we offer and the number of people employed in the sector, it is important that we draw this to people’s attention,” Morrison told Rural News.

“It is also important to remind people that the ag sector, as a whole, accounts for 66% of NZ’s export revenues. Sometimes people kind of forget that so it’s good to remind them.” he says.