Tuesday, 18 January 2022 06:55

Govt killing meat sector?

Written by  Peter Burke
The meat industry says unless the Government allows more overseas workers into the country there's a real risk of killing chains shutting down, export dollars lost - along with jobs for New Zealanders. The meat industry says unless the Government allows more overseas workers into the country there's a real risk of killing chains shutting down, export dollars lost - along with jobs for New Zealanders.

The Meat Industry Association (MIA) has launched a stinging attack on the Government for failing to allow the industry to bring in sufficient overseas halal slaughterman.

"There is a strong prospect of killing chains shutting down, export dollars lost - along with jobs for New Zealanders working in the country's meat processing plants if we don't let these people into NZ," MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva told Rural News.

The MIA has been trying since about the middle of last year to get the Government to allow in more overseas halal slaughtermen. Nearly half the red meat processed in NZ is done in accordance with halal rituals.

Karapeeva says the issue with halal slaughter is that the NZ labour market is incredibly tight because of the small population of workers they can tap into. This means they cannot recruit sufficient numbers of people locally.

"We only need 50 migrant workers to keep our sector processing in the halal manner and adding value to our exports, but that means that we need to source overseas workers," she explains.

"Yet the Government has approved only 15 and that is a serious challenge for us going forward. This is an appalling outcome for the country's second largest export earner."

Karapeeva says this all comes at a time when the country needs strong exports to help NZ through the Covid recovery.

"I don't think the Government should be feeling too proud of themselves at the moment," she says.

When the question of the MIA predicament was put to Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor, he said he understood the industry would like to have some backup. But O'Connor claimed the reality is, "everyone is working to adjust in the present time".

"I think the number we have let in will address the issue for the meat industry and allow them to get on. But we [the Government] will work with them [the Government] will work with them [the meat industry] to have more as necessary through the season."

More like this

An annual event?

Meat Industry Association chief executive, Sirma Karapeeva, says she hopes that National Lamb Day will now take place every year.

Featured

Sheep drench resistance costly

Analysis by Dunedin-based Techion New Zealand shows the cost of undetected drench resistance in sheep has exploded to an estimated $98 million a year.

Dairy sheep and goat turmoil

Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.

Hurry up and slow down!

OPINION: We have good friends from way back who had lived in one of our major cities for many years.

National

Knowing bugs means fewer drugs

A mastitis management company claims to deliver the fastest and most accurate mastitis testing available at scale for New Zealand…

Machinery & Products

AGTEK and ARGO part ways

After 12 years of representing the Landini and McCormick brands in New Zealand, Bay of Plenty-based AGTEK and the brands’…

100 years of Farmall Tractors

Returning after an enforced break, the Wheat and Wheels Rally will take place on the Lauriston -Barhill Road, North-East of…

JD unveils its latest beast

John Deere has unveiled its most powerful tractor ever, with the launch of the all new 9RX Series Tractor line-up…

Biggest Quadtrac coming to NZ!

In the biggest announcement that Case IH Australia/New Zealand has made around its tractor range, its biggest tractor is about…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Why?

OPINION: A mate of yours truly wants to know why the beef schedule differential is now more than 45-50 cents…

Fat to cut

OPINION: Your canine crusader understands that MPI were recently in front of the Parliamentary Primary Sector Select Committee for an…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter