Editorial: Happy days return
OPINION: After two long years of hardship, things are looking up for New Zealand red meat farmers.
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton says his recent visit to China has left him feeling optimistic about the situation there for the meat industry.
He says the recovery in the Chinese market will not happen overnight but says he senses it's moving in the right direction, although he adds that one should not expect to see the same high prices for product of a few years ago.
Boulton says the market is going to be far stronger in the protein space - particularly for the high-quality products that NZ sells.
"The Chinese middle class is forecast to grow from 400 million to 800 million people, and they are really conscious about where their food is grown, and they care about sustainability. They have got a strong green agenda and that plays into our offering from SFF, so there is still a very affluent growing middle class segment that we will be targeting," he told Rural News.
According to Boulton, the mood of the Chinese consumers is quite buoyant - something that hasn't been seen for a few years. He says looking forwards, pricing in that market is starting to lift with investment growth in retail stores.
Boulton says they have got some deep relationships with their customers and partners who want to grow SFF brands.
He says the situation is being helped by the stimulus packages being provided by the Chinese government to kickstart their economy.
Boulton's comments come after spending a week attending the Chinese International Import Expo (CIIE) at which NZ launched its $8 million three-year publicity campaign to get Chinese consumers to buy our high-quality meat products.
Ashleigh Gordon and Leilani Lobb have been named as the two finalists for Dairy Women's Network's (DWN) 2026 Regional Leader of the Year Award.
Animal and Plant Health New Zealand (APHANZ) says the approval of a new fungicide seed treatment is a positive, however growers will be hoping the final approval is completed ahead of the spring season.
North Canterbury farmer Adam Williamson has been appointed DairyNZ's associate director for 2026-27.
Fonterra farmers are set for a multi-billion-dollar payout this week.
The 2026 Holstein Friesian NZ Young Breeders Development Programme is off to a strong start, with this year's intake coming together for their first event on March 18 and 19.
State farmer Pāmu (Landcorp) has announced it will pay a $10 million special dividend to the Crown off the back of a strong outlook for the business and a capital repayment of $9.5 million following Fonterra's consumer business sale.

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