Farm assurance scheme grows
More than 8,000 farm businesses are now signed up to the New Zealand Farm Assurance (NZFAP) programme – along with several red meat and wool companies.
It follows the National Council of New Zealand Wool Interests (NCNZWI) adopting the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP) as a national standard for wool in May.
Nick Beeby, chairman of New Zealand Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI), which owns and manages NZFAP, said the milestone provides a substantial boost for the wool industry.
“This initiative provides the sector with an opportunity to add value to our national wool crop by locking in New Zealand’s unique farming systems and the natural and sustainable qualities of wool.
“All NZFAP certified farms growing wool will be able to promote and sell Farm Assured wool provided that the company handling the wool is a NZFAI member, the wool is going directly into a NZFAI-approved wool facility, and the wool leaving the property is accompanied by a NZFAI wool specification sheet that includes the NZFAP farm assurance code.”
The new requirements have been established by the NZFAI in partnership with 23 NCNZWI wool companies, resulting in a rigorous wool-facility and exporter protocol, says Beeby.
“This helps to uphold the integrity of NZFAP and provides assurances to customers of the transparency, sustainability, biosecurity, and animal welfare of the wool products they purchase.
“We believe this initiative further galvanises the primary industry collaborative power and positions the 23 NZFAI wool member companies in a much stronger collaborative position to add value by promoting New Zealand wool to the more discerning and socially conscious consumers.”
For a list of approved NZFAI wool members, facilities and exporters, please visit www.nzfap.com
