MIA Chief Executive Nick Beeby on Meat Industry Challenges and Cooperation
Meat Industry Association chief executive Nick Beeby says there’s now much closer cooperation between meat processing companies than there was many years ago.
The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), agreed to by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week, represents a useful yardstick for New Zealand negotiations, say leaders in the red meat sector.
Chief executive of the Meat Industry Association Sirma Karapeeva says the deal sets a useful baseline for negotiations between New Zealand and the UK with evenutal tariff free access for sheepmeat and beef and zero tariff rates on in-quota trade in the interim.
"However, the devil is often in the detail in trade agreements and we'll be studying this closely when the agreement eventually comes out," Karapeeva says.
“We will be looking to achieve a better outcome in the NZ-UK FTA and we look forward to a swift conclusion of our own FTA negotiations. Unfortunately, we are still seeing a gap between rhetoric and action.”
Meanwhile Sam McIvor, chief executive of Beef + Lamb NZ, says the agreement is a significant milestone for the UK as it seeks to forge an independent trade policy post-Brexit.
“It’s giving some better signals around the UK’s intentions to be a serious free trader. The UK-Australia deal looks like it is a shift away rom the EU protectionist model and this is welcome.”
Fonterra’s 2026 financial year was a year of delivery, with record volumes of milk collected, processed and shipped by the co-op.
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Dairy farmers, still holding onto their Fonterra shares despite switching milk supply elsewhere or exiting the industry, now face a stricter share sell-down requirement.
Hamilton-based agritech company Aimer Farming has completed a $3 million capital raise to support its next stage of growth, including a beef farming product due to launch in 2027.
When dairy manager Miriam Lauridsen learned the farm, she was joining held weekly health and safety meetings, she initially thought that was “a bit over the top”. Experiencing that culture changed her mind.
Nominations are open for the 2027 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Award.