NZ “tongue-soft” red meat innovation wins 2026 MIA Dragon’s Den
A New Zealand red meat product range with “tongue-soft” texture for elderly or unwell people has won the 2026 Meat Industry Association (MIA) Dragon’s Den competition.
Meat Industry Association chair Nathan Guy says his organisation welcomes the new trade deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), noting the UAE is the second largest market for the red meat sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council after Saudi Arabia.
Guy says with a population where over 75% are Muslim, the UAE is a key halal market that is increasingly looking for reliable sources of high-quality red meat that meets their strict halal expectations.
"Halal-certified exports made up 37 percent of total red meat exports and were worth approximately $3 billion in 2023/24, so NZ is well placed to meet the UAE's red meat needs," he says.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chair Kate Acland says food security is a priority for the UAE with international trade identified as a key enabler, and beef in particular cited in their strategy as a key item to secure supply in.
The dairy industry is a major beneficiary of the deal and according to Kimberly Crewther, the executive director of DCANZ - the organisation that represents dairy companies - says that eliminating tariffs on all dairy products provides important certainly to continue growing this trade
Fonterra says it's keeping an eye on the Middle East crisis and its implications for global supply chains.
The closure of the McCain processing plant and the recent announcement of 300 job losses at Wattie’s underscore the mounting pressure facing New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, Buy NZ Made says.
Specialist agriculture lender Oxbury has entered the New Zealand market, offering livestock finance to farmers.
New research suggests Aotearoa New Zealand farmers are broadly matching phosphorus fertiliser use to the needs of their soils, helping maintain relatively stable nutrient levels across the country’s agricultural land.
Helensville farmers, Donald and Kirsten Watson of Moreland Pastoral, have been named the Auckland Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Marc and Megan Lalich were named 2026 Share Farmers of the Year at last night's Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards.

OPINION: If you ask this old mutt, the choice at the next election isn't shaping up as a contest of…
OPINION: A mate of yours says we're long overdue for a reckoning on what value farmers really get for the…