Alliance's Pure South cuts win gold
Meat co-operative Alliance Group has bagged four gold medals at the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, achieving top honours for every cut entered.
Meat processor Alliance Group is reporting promising outcomes from a pilot programme marketing hogget as a premium product.
A number of farmer shareholders asked the cooperative to explore the development of a market for hogget because of the large price differential between lamb and mutton.
The cooperative carried out the pilot in the UK food service sector, with a particular focus on the ethnic foods market, from November 2017 to February this year.
John Rabbitt, sales manager at Alliance Group, says the UK has one of Europe’s largest markets for ethnic foods, so is accustomed to using both New Zealand lamb and mutton.
“The product has been very well received, with recently-conducted testing on Alliance hogget rating the taste and succulence.
“The market is looking forward to ongoing supply and development of our hogget cuts. Some pilot product has also been sent to Asia and we are awaiting market feedback.”
Heather Stacy, general manager livestock and shareholder services at Alliance Group, says traditionally lambs are distinguished from mutton when their first adult teeth come through.
“However, the response to the UK pilot, and growing demand for hogget from New Zealand chefs, demonstrates this is not the only approach and the value should be determined by the quality of the meat.”
The pilot initially saw a large number of previous season lambs, which had incisors erupt, capturing a hogget grade in November. The schedule for the trial gave these significantly better returns than mutton prices, she said.
A number of cull breeding hoggets were also supplied for processing as farmers drafted off lighter stock due to the dry conditions.
Rabbitt said the key to the success of marketing hogget as a premium product, was selecting the right animals with good meat and fat colour, despite being no longer conventionally considered to be lamb.
The company is now undertaking a full evaluation of the pilot before making a decision on the next steps.
Federated Farmers claims that the Otago Regional Council is charging ahead unnecessarily with piling more regulation on rural communities.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.
Listed Canterbury milk processor Synlait’s shares have been placed in a trading halt.
OPINION: Even before the National-led coalition came into power, India was very much at the fore of its trade agenda.
A step-by-step guide helping farmers through the process of creating a Freshwater Farm Plan (FWFP) has been launched by FarmIQ.
OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…
OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…