Farmgate prices rise as farmers rebuild confidence
Sheep and beef farmers are cautiously optimistic as farmgate prices continue to firm.
ASB economist Nathan Penny says New Zealand agriculture hasn’t backed great science with great stories.
Speaking at the inaugural proteinTECH conference in Auckland today, Penny reminded 200 attendees of the food miles debate that gripped the country ten years ago.
He says a campaign by UK farmers to turn their consumers against NZ butter and meat flopped because of great work done by Professor Caroline Saunders, Lincoln University.
Research led by Saunders found that contrary to UK farmers’ claims, the carbon footprint of NZ dairy products shipped to UK was 50% of the carbon footprint clocked by UK dairy products; carbon footprint of NZ lamb was only 25% of UK lamb.
Saunders found that NZ cows and sheep grazed outdoors and had a smaller carbon footprint than UK animals which were housed 24/7.
Penny says the British went quiet after Saunders’ research results came out.
“The farmer groups them employed a different strategy- buy British-made food,” he says.
He says consumers warmed to this strategy and NZ lamb exports to the UK declined.
Penny says the food miles debacle shows that science alone wasn’t enough to win consumers’ trust in the UK.
“We need stories, brands around stories and influences to win consumers,” he says.
“We have great science but we are missing out on stories and key influences.
“Caroline (Saunders) provided us great ammunition but we failed to back it with great stories; we were beaten by the British when it came to storytelling.”
An independent report, prepared for Alliance farmer shareholders is backing the proposed $250 million joint venture investment by Irish company Dawn Meats Group.
Whangarei field service technician, Bryce Dickson has cemented his place in John Deere’s history, becoming the first ever person to win an award for the third time at the annual Australian and New Zealand Technician of the Year Awards, announced at a gala dinner in Brisbane last night.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
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