Thursday, 26 September 2024 08:55

Editorial: Putting more lamb on Kiwi plates

Written by  Staff Reporters
Australia’s much higher domestic consumption adds resilience to their lamb market, as strength in domestic retail trade can help balance out global demand dynamics and associated price volatility. Australia’s much higher domestic consumption adds resilience to their lamb market, as strength in domestic retail trade can help balance out global demand dynamics and associated price volatility.

OPINION: Putting more lamb on Kiwi dinner plates is one way to boost returns to farmers.

This is one of the three actions recommended by a Rabobank report to create more consistency in earnings along the supply chain.

The challenge for the red meat sector's marketing arm is to increase per capita consumption of lamb to Australian levels. That one achievement would propel the domestic market behind only China in terms of overall consumption of New Zealand sheepmeat.

According to the report, the majority of New Zealand lamb is exported, and over the past five years, New Zealand's domestic consumption has averaged just 5% of total population.

Domestic consumption is limited by population size, but at 1.95kg, New Zealand per capital consumption is not even one-third of Australia's 6.4kg, as stated by 2023 OECD data.

Australia's much higher domestic consumption adds resilience to their lamb market, as strength in domestic retail trade can help balance out global demand dynamics and associated price volatility.

The report says what our Aussie cousins have done well to support domestic consumption is to promote Australian lamb quality and nutritional value. New Zealand has pushed these messages in the past, but an opportunity exists for industry bodies to invest in marketing the New Zealand lamb story to reposition lamb in the eyes of local consumers, it says.


 Read More


So, why is NZ lamb not hitting Kiwi plates more often?

According to the OECD, domestic consumption of other proteins such as pork and poultry has increased significantly and a major drive towards export markets for lamb may have contributed to higher prices domestically.

The challenge for Beef + Lamb NZ Inc is clear - convince Kiwis to eat more lamb.

Our Aussie cousins are experts at this. Let's take a leaf out of their book and try similar campaigns here. More lamb consumption in NZ means better returns for our hardworking sheep farmers.

 

 

More like this

Good times return

Following several years of pain, farmers and growers are facing a decent upswing in commodity prices, say economists.

Vintage requiring cooperation

OPINION: A common refrain last year was 'survive 'til 25', including from those in New Zealand's wine industry facing rising costs, surplus wine and sluggish export sales.

Featured

Crush death triggers on-farm traffic alert

Following a sentencing for a death at a South Canterbury agribusiness, WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds.

Vegetable growing at risk

Horticulture New Zealand says the country’s ability to provide fresh, healthy vegetables is at risk unless the Government makes growing them a permitted activity.

Industry monitoring dry conditions

While it has been a great spring and summer for farmers, soil moisture levels in the Waikato are now plummeting as the dry February starts to bite.

National

Top dairy CEO quits

Arguably one of the country's top dairy company's chief executives, Richard Wyeth has abruptly quit Chinese owned Westland Milk Products…

DairyNZ seeks more cash

For the first time in 17 years, DairyNZ wants farmers to contribute more cash to run the industry-good organisation.

EPA's plan 'not good enough'

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is bolstering its frontline applications teams in a bid to reduce the timeframe for new…

Machinery & Products

New home for JCB Agriculture

Power Farming has announced a new chapter in its partnership with JCB, which having represented the UK-based company’s construction equipment…

CAT's 100th anniversary

While instantly recognised as the major player in construction equipment, Caterpillar Inc, more commonly known as CAT, has its roots…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Ruth reckons

OPINION: Ruth Richardson, architect of the 1991 ‘Mother of all Budgets’ and the economic reforms dubbed ‘Ruthanasia’, added her two…

Veg, no meat?

OPINION: Why do vegans and others opposed to eating meat try to convince others that a plant based diet is…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter