China’s new beef tariffs expected to favour New Zealand exporters
Additional tariffs introduced by the Chinese Government last month on beef imports should favour New Zealand farmers and exporters.
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer is not overly concerned about the threat of plant-based meat substitutes.
Limmer's transition from chief operating officer of Zespri to chief executive of Silver Fern Farms has been seamless.
He notes protein consumption is growing worldwide and NZ is not going to be able to supply the world. NZ doesn’t need to be everything to every consumer, he says.
“The other point is that our market position is quite different: we are looking for that quality high end and naturally produced red meat for the consumer,” he told Rural News. “We are very much in different markets in what we are offering.”
Limmer believes there is scope for massive growth in red meat sales to eastern markets, especially China. The trend in Chinese meat consumption per capita favours NZ. “But ultimately we have to focus on the market and adapt to what consumers are after. If we can match our good product with the right consumers then we can be very successful.”
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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