Government welcomes meat sector strategy

Agriculture and Acting Minister for Economic Development Minister David Carter today welcomed the red meat industry’s goal to grow the sector from $8 billion to $14 billion by 2025.

Mr Carter says the Red Meat Sector Strategy, initiated by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association, is an ambitious plan to lift the performance of the meat industry and to give it clearer direction.

“Those surveyed by Deloitte during the strategy’s development agreed that the way the industry functions needs to improve. There is a real risk that current good returns will create farmer complacency about addressing the long-term issues facing the sector.

“This strategy will only be successful if the meat industry continues with the same level of co-operation shown in developing the plan, and works together to implement it. I’m pleased the report identifies that greater flow of information between farmers, processors and marketers will be the key to achieving this.

“As a farmer I can identify with the strategy’s clear message that we must all look at lifting our on-farm performance further.

“I congratulate Beef+LambNZ and MIA on initiating this work. New Zealand red meat is a valuable product, prized by wealthy consumers in a range of markets. We need to build on this base to restore sustainable profits to the sector.”

Mr Carter says for its part, the Government is supporting the meat sector through a range of programmes, in particular, the Primary Growth Partnership, the recently launched Red Meat Market Development Contestable Fund, and ongoing work to secure better, fairer trade access for our products overseas.