Silver Fern Farms Airfreights 90 Tonnes of Chilled Meat to UAE Amid Freight Disruptions
Silver Fern Farms has successfully produced and delivered 90 tonnes of premium chilled New Zealand lamb and beef to the United Arab Emirates via airfreight.
The shipment used a customer-chartered aircraft operating from Auckland to Abu Dhabi to supply leading Middle East distributor Al Tayeb - a division of the LuLu Group, which operates supermarkets across the region.
Silver Fern Farms general manager logistics, Scott Hurdley, said the delivery highlighted SFF's commitment to finding solutions for customers during a period of disruption to sea freight.
Middle East a Strategic Market
"We have longstanding customer partnerships of over 35 years in the Middle East, and many exporters are currently experiencing difficulty servicing this important region," he said.
The Middle East is a strategic market for Silver Fern Farms, particularly for chilled lamb and beef.
SFF had done smaller-scale airfreight before but completely filling a plane was unique.
Hurdley said it needed close coordination between SFF's New Zealand and Middle East offices, Al Tayeb, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, and Auckland Airport's airside processes, to ensure strict cold-chain compliance throughout.
Success Underlines NZ's Ability to Deliver
He said the success of the shipment underlines New Zealand's ability to deliver premium food products to international markets, even under challenging conditions.
"Silver Fern Farms is proud to be a partner of one of the leading retailers (LuLu Group) in the Middle East, with a robust network spanning multiple markets and a strong global sourcing ecosystem. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to delivering world-class quality to our customers while ensuring a resilient and reliable food supply chain," he says.
Alliance Group Also Managing Export Disruption
Meanwhile, the Alliance Group agrees that ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to affect the red meat supply chain.
"However, our logistics team has worked incredibly hard to keep product moving under very tough circumstances," said James McWilliam, Alliance Group commercial director.
"We have a lot of experience managing volatility in global markets, and we have had some success getting product through to key markets in the Middle East despite the disruption."
McWilliam said Alliance's procurement team has been working closely with its Dawn Meats colleagues, given that they share a number of suppliers.
"Our strong customer relationships in the Middle East have also been critical in helping mitigate the impact of the conflict on the business."
