Monthly Archives: December 2012

TPP negotiations need to deliver for agriculture

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New Zealand’s red meat sector is encouraging all negotiating parties in the Trans-Pacific Partnership to work tirelessly to ensure this agreement can be completed by October 2013.

Key outcomes from the completion of TPP must be the elimination of agricultural trade barriers and the opportunity for greater economic integration across the Asia Pacific region, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ Ltd) and the Meat Industry Association (MIA).

The B+LNZ and MIA chairmen, Mike Petersen and Bill Falconer (respectively) reinforced the need for reduced barriers to agricultural trade, including the elimination of tariffs and other technical barriers as a priority. Achieving that would create benefits and opportunities for all TPP members exporting red meat products.

“The TPP agreement has the potential to create new opportunities for all red meat exporting countries through improved market access, reducing both tariff and non-tariff barriers, and trade facilitation in the Asia-Pacific region,” Falconer says.

The TPP agreement also offers the opportunity to do business more easily and transparently.

B+LNZ and MIA are present at the TPP negotiating round in Auckland, meeting with the agricultural trade negotiators and talking with agricultural and meat producer representative organisations from partner countries.

Petersen says the New Zealand red meat sector had well established links with a number of producer organisations, including the Canadian and Mexican beef producers.

“Both Canada and Mexico are part of the Five Nations Beef Alliance along with Australia, the United States and ourselves. Together, we represent producers from countries that account for one-third of global beef production and approximately half of global beef exports.

“The Alliance will be presenting its views on what it considers would be a successful outcome for the beef trade from these negotiations. Our view is that we must achieve a high quality comprehensive agreement that acknowledges the importance of beef production and consumption for all participating countries.”

B+LNZ and the MIA will continue to monitor progress over coming months and, where desired, assist negotiators to address the key issues relevant to the red meat sector in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

New frontline border staff

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David Carter, NZ Primary Industries MinisterForty six new border staff graduated last week boosting New Zealand’s biosecurity frontline.

With training completed of the largest intake of border staff in over a decade, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) issued warrants to 43 new quarantine inspectors and three new detector dog handlers at a ceremony in Auckland.

Welcoming the new graduates Primary Industries Minister David Carter said, “As Government had planned, these new border staff bring MPI’s bisoecurity frontline up to full strength and will help meet the demands of the summer peak season.”

The majority of the quarantine inspectors will be based in Auckland and five will go to Wellington. The three new dog handlers will go to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Four existing warranted quarantine inspectors who have trained as dog handlers also graduated. They join the 11 detector dog handlers that went through the MPI training centre earlier this year.

Feeding East Asia

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The importance of the East Asia region as the most significant market for New Zealand and Australian food and fibre products is set to grow in coming years, highlighted more recently by the global economic downturn, according to Rabobank.

In a recent report titled, Feeding East Asia’, Rabobank senior analyst Marc Soccio says the global and economic downturn has sharpened the focus onto the East Asian region as it continues to expand its slice of the global economic pie, offering opportunities no longer available in traditional markets as incomes grow and diets change in fundamental ways.

“The significance of East Asia to New Zealand and Australian farmers and agribusinesses is growing from an already strong base, with markets in developing economies coming on-stream to supplement more established markets in the region,” Mr Soccio says.

“As developing countries across East Asia continue to grow their share of the global economy, rising incomes are gradually transforming household consumption patterns. Opportunities for greater trade with the region are widespread and are more or less subject to the ongoing evolution of strong and sustainable consumer economies.”

Soccio says supply chains are evolving, and competition to capture value from rising trade flows is arising from both within the region and beyond.

“But overall, with a greater understanding of this diverse region, New Zealand and Australian suppliers appear well positioned to satisfy growing demands for a greater range and value of food and fibre production in years to come.”

The cultural and socio-economic diversity inherent in East Asia remains a defining characteristic that makes the region a particularly complicated prospect to navigate.

Accordingly, Soccio says the need to better understand the region and its future direction has never been so great, as this will provide New Zealand and Australian food producers with the competitive advantage required to explore the right markets, in the right way, at the right time.

On the topic of the rising tide of foreign ownership in the sector, the Rabobank report refers to the case of Australia’s sugar sector which undertook a significant shift in ownership of the industry’s downstream milling assets in the period from 2010 to 2011.

“In fact, over the past decade, control of almost three-quarters of Australia’s downstream sugar refining assets have been acquired by foreign investors – around two-thirds are now owned by businesses based in East Asia,” says Soccio.

“The investment into the sector has had a revitalising effect, but it has also significantly changed supply chain dynamics, with cane farmers now needing to be more mindful of how they transact with parties further downstream.”

The value created by opportunities to supply food and fibre products to East Asia into the future will be influenced by a number of factors.

According to Soccio, competition from suppliers, both within the region and in other parts of the world, will continue to put the strong reputation of New Zealand and Australian food producers to the test.

“Many countries across East Asia are significant agricultural producers in their own right and will try to meet their own needs as best as they can, which can limit opportunities for some crops where New Zealand and Australian producers may not have a clear cost or quality advantage.”

Soccio highlights other competitive forces, such as the way in which value is shared in the supply chain, as well as exchange rates and bilateral trade negotiations, will also have a bearing.

“One way or another, the stronger ties being forged to the region through greater inbound and outbound trade and investment will underline New Zealand and Australia’s pivotal role in feeding Asia in the years to come,” he says.

Rabobank New Zealand is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 110 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 48 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 10 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1600 offices and branches. Rabobank New Zealand is one of the country’s leading rural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the New Zealand food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 31 branches throughout New Zealand.

More support for TPP

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More business leaders are speaking publicly in support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that is currently being negotiated in Auckland.

Business NZ chief executive Phil O’Reilly has said the TPP has the potential to raise living standards around New Zealand.

Speaking at the TPP Forum he said the trade agreement goes beyond the 20th century approach of simply seeking to reduce tariffs and border restrictions.

“It recognises the fact that industry now relies on complex supply and value chains involving producers in many different locations and countries. New Zealand is deeply involved in many international value chains and the TPP will enable more New Zealand businesses to trade effectively in more countries and that means increased growth and more jobs for New Zealanders.

“The particular value of the TPP is that it involves many of the fastest growing economies on earth. Economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region is surging and TPP will help unlock that growth for New Zealand’s benefit.

“It’s appropriate that New Zealand’s negotiators are focused on protecting and advancing our interests including public health, intellectual property, the environment and the Treaty of Waitangi and success in these areas will mean a high-quality trade deal that is sustainable in the long-term.”

Agreement vital to New Zealand economic success

Also speaking in Auckland at the Stakeholders Forum was Suze Reynolds, NZUS Council associate director who argued that the agreement is vital to New Zealand economic success.

“New Zealand has always been a nation of traders, but we need a level playing field to compete in competitive world markets,” she said. “As a country, we desperately need to grow the economy and grow employment. More trade means more jobs.”

International trade accounts for around two thirds of new Zealand’s total economic activity. In 2011, New Zealand’s merchandise exports totalled $48 billion, while service exports totalled $13 billion.

“These are big numbers, but we are not paying our way. We still spend more than we earn,” said Reynolds. “We can’t prosper by selling to ourselves, we can’t eat all we produce and we can’t produce all that we need. Free trade gives us more choice. It helps to diversify and deepen our economy. It exposes our businesses to innovation and makes them more efficient, it attunes them to international markets and exposes them to high value customers.

Research undertaken by the East-West Center, in Honolulu, states that the TPP could add around $2.1 billion to the New Zealand economy by 2025.

 

Glamming up for the competition

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The competition is heating up for the 2013 Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Golden Lamb Awards, aka the Glammies.

More than 100 entries from across the country will be competing next year for the Grand Champion title.

The competition, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Genetics, which aims to find New Zealand’s most tender and tasty lamb is entering its seventh year and sees farmers from across the country vying for the Grand Champion title.

B+LNZ Ltd chief executive, Scott Champion, says the competition is an excellent opportunity to profile the quality product New Zealand farmers produce.

“The Glammies gives farmers a chance to showcase breed lines and demonstrate how their animal management talent and hard work in the field culminates in great tasting lamb.”

Winning the top prize is not easy; entries will first be scientifically tested at Carne Technologies to find the top 20.

From here it will be down to the tastebuds of a panel of judges at the Upper Clutha A & P Show in Wanaka on 8 March 2013, where the winner will be determined. Butchers also have an opportunity to profile their product with the Glammies Retailer of the Year Award.

The competition is supported by processing plants across the country. These include: AFFCO, Alliance Group Ltd, Ashburton Meat Processors Ltd, Auckland Meat Processors/Wilson Hellaby, Blue Sky Meats, Cabernet Foods/Kintyre Meats, Harris Meats, Land Meat NZ, Lean Meats, Silver Fern Farms, Taylor Preston/Ken Wilson Meats.

Eventful year for meat training

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It’s been an eventful year for meat training, with the merger of the meat and dairy sectors’ industry training organisation (NZITO) and the Seafood ITO to create a major export food ITO, which is generating synergies that will benefit all.

The new single ITO entity, using the NZITO name and branding, has been in operation since the beginning of August and is now servicing a combined workforce of over 60,000 employees covering New Zealand’s three key export food industries – meat, dairy and seafood.

“There are many obvious synergies we are now taking up, such as knife skills and rendering and there will be more shared servicing over time as we maximise staff and training to keep costs in check,” reports general manager Carl Ammon, who has stepped up from leading the meat and dairy ITO to head the new body, adding that there are new skills in the team that are all adding value.

Ammon is delighted to share that the new NZITO is delivering at the top of the Tertiary Education Commission’s Educational Performance Indicator tables. “Which is creditable as our industries are seasonal and not based around trade apprenticeships, unlike building or engineering,” he says.

The move to a single enlarged ITO has been strongly supported by the Meat Industry Association (MIA) with chief executive Tim Ritchie pointing out that ITOs provide training that many people would not otherwise get, as it is delivered in the workplace and allows for the seasonal pressures of the agricultural industry.

“The ITO system is an invaluable asset for out industry, and this merger can only make it stronger. The merged ITO will allow our people to learn and up-skill themselves while they work and offers clear opportunities for career development in our industry.”

When he announced  the merger, NZITO chair Graeme Sutton said that training offered through the NZIITO will carry more status in the primary sector and the community as a whole.

Because of its increased ‘buying power’, Sutton said that the ITO will be able to demand high standards of delivery from its training providers. There will also be greater emphasis on training skills that are transferable across the food export sector, creating more opportunities for personal advancement, he said.

The new NZITO board includes two representatives each from the meat, dairy and seafood industries. Representing the MIA, and the meat industry, on the board are Carolyn Thompson, HR Manager for Taylor Preston Ltd and Kerry Stevens, Group HR and Communications Manager for Alliance Group Ltd.

There is also a meat advisory group (MAG), comprising representatives from a number of meat companies, which provides industry input to the NZITO. Similar groups have been set up for the dairy and seafood sectors.

Qualifications now under review

Recent work for the groups includes input to the nation-wide Targeted Review of Qualifications (TRoQ), aimed at simplifying the qualification framework, rationalising the number of qualifications and seeing where updates are needed. Proposals are expected to go forward to NZQA in early 2013.

The work is going well, says Ammon, adding that it is using best practice examples between sectors and will allow for qualifications that are simpler to follow and use and that still provide a learning pathway for staff.

“We are focusing on the generics and people skills like communications, problem solving and team work as well as food safety, market access, quality, biosecurity and supply chain.”

Apprenticeship pathways, proving very popular for meat companies and others, are to be rebuilt. “This uses the qualifications and packages them to the level of a well-rounded and capable operator able to take on technical and leadership responsibility.”

The TRoQ review is also building in the future needs that are arising from drivers like automation and robotics that are now expanding in use across the sector. “This mirrors past experience in the dairy industry, so we can benefit from that experience here,” says Ammon.

Health and safety skills and knowledge are being integrated into core training, alongside the running of specialist Occupational Health and Safety qualifications.

Management development and productivity improvement qualifications are being retained, “as these have been used to good advantage by many companies in building both people and organisational performance,” says Ammon.

The NZITO is also planning to implement with other ITOs, such as hospitality, a base food sector qualification aimed at schools and pre-employment. “This will reinforce the career pathways plan of the Ministry of Education and support trade academies and schools delivering trade-focused skills to students who have a career planned in industry.”

What’s next?

The NZITO is now working closely with other primary sector ITOs in the planning of a primary sector platform to coordinate qualifications and training. That will harmonise with Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) requirements in areas like traceability, transport and animal welfare.

“This will help us to harmonise much that is in common in the food export areas and is intended to reinforce the value chain or paddock to plate concept this is a key driver in New Zealand exports,” Ammon explains.

Practical examples would be common HACCP training standards, animal welfare, animal products inspection and initiatives like halal standards for key markets. “This is also intended to complement our adaptation to expectations from key markets for a standards based approach to the supply chain,” he says.

The NZITO/Seafood ITO merger is part of the reconfiguration of the ITO sector into larger, more capable organisations to better meet the needs of employers. In October, the agriculture and horticulture ITOs also merged into one organisation, under the Primary Industry Training Organisation banner.

“Work is progressing on the prospect of a consolidated primary sector ITO that will deliver greater efficiencies in scale, coverage (market share) and resourcing flexibility,” says Ammon. “Early work shows real potential for savings and improved services so this will be a work in progress for 2012/2013.”

This item appeared first in Food NZ magazine (December 2012/January 2013).

 

New knife sharpening DVD from NZITO

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A new knife-sharpening DVD, featuring Silver Fern Farms’ knife tutor Alex Tuhi (above),  has been developed by NZITO and distributed to all meat companies. Carl Ammon describes it as a best practice package to help staff and companies improve yield and reduce risk and accidents. He says companies that have monitored the system and used it consistently, “report significant savings in equipment, and reduced injury, and staff have been positive about the improved performance of knives.” A copy of the DVD is available on request from NZITO. Phone: 07 858 4823, or email [email protected]. An online version of the DVD is anticipated soon.

 

 

Silver Fern Farms’ Te Aroha opening

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Pictured at the Te Aroha opening are (left to right): local MP Scott Simpson; John Key; Eoin Garden chairman Silver Fern Farms; Keith Cooper, chief executive Silver Fern Farms; Kevin Winders, chief operating officer Silver Fern Farms.

Prime Minister opens new SFF Te Aroha plant

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Pictured at the Te Aroha opening are (left to right): local MP Scott Simpson; John Key; Eoin Garden chairman Silver Fern Farms; Keith Cooper, chief executive Silver Fern Farms; Kevin Winders, chief operating officer Silver Fern Farms.

Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key opened Silver Fern Farms’ brand new flagship processing plant at Te Aroha this afternoon.

The new plant, the first to be built by the farmer co-operative under its current name Silver Fern Farms, replaces the beef processing plant seriously damaged by fire on the site in December 2010.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of central and local government, local iwi, and members of the Te Aroha community in addition to Silver Fern Farms’ board of directors, leadership team, plant management and contractors involved in the project.

Silver Fern Farms’ chairman, Eoin Garden, and chief executive, Keith Cooper, welcomed a large gathering of all those associated with the rebuild including contractors, local government representatives, local iwi and members of the Te Aroha community.

At the opening, Garden said the investment of $67m to commission the state-of-the-art facility was testament to the co-operative’s strong confidence in the sector and he indicated the clear alignment of this investment with the Government’s business growth agenda.

Keith Cooper spoke of the importance this plant has, not only to farmer-suppliers in the surrounding rural areas, but also to the local Te Aroha community. The fact the plant will be fully operational ahead of the new season is welcome news for the township, with the prospect it will employ up to 380 staff when operating at full capacity.

“The whole community has been behind the project every step of the way” said Te Aroha plant manager, Lance Warmington. “The company’s commitment to rebuilding Te Aroha is a big deal here – it means future security for hundreds of families in the area.”

Positive spin-offs for local community

Throughout the rebuilding process, Silver Fern Farms endeavoured to provide alternative options for staff whose livelihoods were affected by the fire, to the extent of making positions available at neighbouring plants and providing accommodation supplements in the early stages. In tough times, the company’s significant capital spend also has provided positive spin-offs to the local economy as a result of the number of contractors throughout the region engaged during the course of construction.

“Our whole team are extremely proud of the facility we’ve designed and created,” Warmington added.

“The company culture and the Silver Fern Farms brand and all it stands for are really embedded in the overall look and feel of the new plant, and our people are responding really positively to the new working environment.”

Eco-efficiency and sustainability “top of mind”

Developed in consultation with internationally recognised experts in process layout and ergonomics, the plant incorporates the latest meat processing technologies, including sophisticated traceability and yield collection systems. Cooper said the new design reflects the company’s focus on plant economics and best practice processing, and that eco-efficiency and sustainability were top of mind considerations.

“The rebuild gave us the opportunity to review the environmental footprint of our operation. Our focus is improving environmental efficiency while reducing costs through better use of resources and reduction of waste.” he said . “As a result, the plant sets a new industry benchmark in line with global customer requirements – it uses significantly less electricity and water per head and discharges less effluent per head processed.”

In his address, Cooper also thanked the co-operative’s loyal farmer-suppliers in the area for supporting the company through the re-build.

“We are grateful to those suppliers who have stood by us and persevered while we got the new plant up and running – we know the disruption has been an inconvenience for many. But we are enthusiastic about the service levels and advantages we can now offer them as a result of our investment.”

Silver Fern Farms intends to open the plant to farmer-suppliers and the local community in a series of open days in February 2013.

 

Businesses call for urgent action to conclude TPP in 2013

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Business representatives from four economies – US, NZ, Canada and Australia – have met in Auckland to press for more urgency in concluding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations currently underway.

“In September business representatives from across the TPP member economies urged governments to conclude an ambitious, comprehensive and high standard outcome in 2013,” says Cal Cohen, president of the Emergency Committee for American Trade (ECAT) speaking on behalf of the US Business Coalition for TPP.

“We are glad this call has been taken on board and we express our strong support for this goal.  It is now time for negotiators to tackle the more sensitive issues to ensure this deadline can be met.”

“TPP has the capacity to change the way business is done in the Asia Pacific region.  This is what is needed to grow economies and create jobs,” says Stephen Jacobi, executive director of the NZ US Council and NZ International Business Forum.

“We appreciate the task is complex but we urge negotiators meeting in Auckland this week to accelerate their efforts and narrow their differences so the benefits of TPP can be brought forward at a time of increasing economic difficulty.”

“Canada is joining the TPP negotiations for the first time here in Auckland and is determined to participate in a way that builds consensus for a strong outcome,” said Kathleen Sullivan, executive director of the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance (CAFTA).

“Our immediate priorities are addressing the proliferation of non-tariff barriers which impede trade and issues like rules of origin that can prevent trade occurring even when free trade agreements (FTAs) are put in place. There is a lot at stake for Canada in TPP and we are glad to be participating as one of eleven APEC economies.”

“Australia has a lot to gain from a successful outcome to TPP which can provide an opportunity to reduce the complexity associated with the noodle bowl of over-lapping and contradictory FTAs in the region,” said Bryan Clark, director, trade and international affairs, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).

“Simplification of the supply chain will translate into reduced business costs and increase the time in which products move around the region.  That can only advantage businesses and consumers and lead to better economic outcomes for all member economies.”

Asia Pacific business organisations have earlier reaffirmed their view that a successful TPP will be:

  • Comprehensive – with no product exclusions and with commercially meaningful and flexible rules of origin.
  •  High quality – with strong standards across all main areas, from transparency, investment and government procurement to intellectual property, e-commerce and sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
  • Ambitious – with the elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on trade in goods and services and investment no later than 2020, the deadline set for free and open trade and investment in the Bogor goals.
  • Innovative – with concrete new commitments on new generation and behind the border issues, including eliminating chokepoints in the operation of regional supply and value chains, fostering small and medium-sized business participation in expanding trade, facilitating regulatory coherence and promoting and protecting innovation.
  • Enforceable – with clear commitments, and strong and transparent state-to-state and investor-to-state dispute settlement mechanisms.
  • A living agreement – open to accession by other Asia-Pacific economies, provided these economies share TPP’s ambitious vision and can demonstrate their ability to accede to an agreement with the characteristics described above.

Business representatives from TPP member economies will join government negotiators and other representatives of civil society at a Stakeholder Forum in Auckland tomorrow (7 December).