Tag Archives: Scott Champion

Red meat industry to work together

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Wayne McNee, MPI.The red meat industry has agreed to work together to promote and assist in the adoption of best practice by sheep and beef farmers, as part of a new $65 million dollar sector development project with Government co-funding.

Wayne McNee, director-general of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), has just approved a commitment of up to $32.4 million from MPI’s Primary Growth Partnership Fund (PGP) for the red meat sector’s new Collaboration for Sustainable Growth programme.

This seven-year programme will bring together a number of participants in New Zealand’s red meat sector including co-operatively owned and privately owned processing companies that together account for a substantial majority of New Zealand’s sheep and beef exports, two banks and Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd.

It aims to ensure that red meat producers consistently have access to and are able to effectively use the best-available farm and business management practices, by addressing gaps in technology transfer and ensuring stronger co-ordination between organisations and individuals working with farmers.

MPI Director General, Wayne McNee says the new PGP programme will transform the delivery of knowledge and capability within the sheep and beef sector.

“Importantly this is the most comprehensive collaboration of its type ever seen in the red meat sector, and the opportunities are very exciting. The Collaboration programme will build base capability, delivering benefits across the sector and aligned with other PGP programmes.”

The next step to establish this PGP programme is to develop the contract with the Crown and to seek farmer support for their portion of the investment. It is anticipated that once the required farmer and company approvals and contracts are in place programme delivery can begin, expected to be in the third quarter of this year.

Organisations presently in this initiative are: AFFCO, Alliance Group, ANZCO Foods, ANZ Bank, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Blue Sky Meats, Deloitte, Progressive Meats, Rabobank and Silver Fern Farms. The programme is designed to be open, enabling others to invest. Participants will establish a formal partnership to run the Collaboration programme.

Chairman of the programme’s Steering Group, Dr Scott Champion says the Collaboration programme is built on the findings of the Red Meat Sector Strategy and will deliver significantly on the Strategy’s sector best-practice theme.

“This initiative is evidence that the industry is committed to delivering on the recommendations of the sector strategy. More industry collaboration is high on the list of Strategy actions, and so to have the red meat industry focused on supporting farmers and united in this programme is of major significance. Importantly, the Strategy also underlined the returns available to all farmers by lifting productivity and management towards that of the country’s highest performing farms.”

The PGP programme comprises several elements, including investigating how farmers prefer to receive and use new information and what drives their profitability, as well as benchmarking and integrating relevant databases. New tools, services and knowledge will be packaged and delivered in a range of ways by programme partners.

“With a new awareness of what drives farm profitability, the Collaboration programme will change the sector’s focus from one that is dominated by price to one focused on performance, productivity, profitability and the factors we can control,” Champion said.

“This investment will support the sector to better control its future and ensure confidence for continued investment.”

The Red Meat Sector Strategy was jointly developed by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association, with funding support from the Government. It was released in May 2011.The Strategy identified a range of activities that, when implemented, will improve sector productivity and profitability, and provide greater certainty for participants.

 

Refreshed toolkit for land and environmental management

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New Zealand farmers have a refreshed version of the Land and Environment Planning (LEP) toolkit to help them manage land and environmental issues on their farms.

Produced by Beef + Lamb NZ Ltd (B+LNZ), the toolkit was launched at an event in Christchurch at the end of last week by Minister for the Environment Amy Adams.

The tool helps farmers identify actions to improve production through good environmental management of the land, soil and water resources, says B+LNZ chief executive Scott Champion. “These plans can help them meet regional council requirements too in all parts of the country.”

The sheep and beef sector is an important contributor to the New Zealand economy, producing $7.5 billion a year in export returns. “Consumers in New Zealand’s red meat sector export markets value this country’s commitment to environmentally sound practices,” says Champion.

A copy of the toolkit can be downloaded here.

 

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.

Meat industry leaders support TPP negotiations

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Heads of various meat industry organisations  have shown their public support for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement negotiations underway in Auckland this week between eleven APEC economies.

They are amongst more than 50 business leaders from some of New Zealand’s largest and most successful companies and business organisations to have signed an open letter to Prime Minister John Key, underlining the importance of international trade and investment for New Zealand.

Among the signatories are Alliance chief executive Grant Cuff, ANZCO Foods’ managing director Mark Clarkson, Silver Fern Farms’ Keith Cooper, Greenlea Premier Meats’ Tony Egan and Sir James Wallace chairman of Wallace Corporation alongside Meat Industry Association chairman Bill Falconer and Beef + Lamb NZ Ltd’s chairman Mike Pedersen and chief executive Scott Champion.

“The signatories to the open letter represent a cross section across all major export sectors in New Zealand, including agriculture, forestry, fishing, horticulture, wine, manufacturing, technology and Maori business. Together they either directly employ, or their members employ, an enormous number of Kiwis,” says the chairman of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF), Sir Graeme Harrison.

“These business leaders welcome the TPP round taking place in Auckland this week and commend negotiators from the TPP economies for their efforts to conclude a future agreement which should bring benefits for all member economies”.

“The group is aware the negotiation poses challenges for New Zealand policy settings in a number of areas and that the negotiation is complex. We have confidence that Trade Minister Tim Groser and his officials will seek solutions that meet New Zealand’s national interests.”

“We see great advantages for New Zealand arising from a future agreement that is high quality, comprehensive and ambitious, one that eliminates trade barriers, lowers the cost of doing business and makes improvements to the way regional supply chains can link producers and consumers in the region.”

The open letter coincides with the launch of a new business-led initiative, Trade Works, a website (www.tradeworks.org.nz) to help Kiwis better understand the benefits of trade and investment for New Zealand, and understand the potential benefits of TPP.  Funding for the website has been provided by the NZ US Council and the website has been built with the support of thirteen business organisations representing the main export sectors.

“The Council and its partners see value from an effort to create a TPP which meets business and wider needs and reflects the way business is being done today and will be done in the future.  This will assist economic growth and job creation in New Zealand.  Our new website signals that we are also ready to participate with other members of civil society in a dialogue about how TPP can contribute to what it is best for New Zealand,” says the chairman of the NZ US Council, Rt Hon James Bolger.

 

B+LNZ scoops Plain English web award

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Congratulations to Beef + Lamb NZ Ltd, which has just scooped the prize for best private sector website at this year’s WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Awards.

The judges were impressed with B+LNZ Ltd’s strong commitment to plain English. “The purpose is really clear and the pages show plain language, active verbs, and short sentences. Useful summaries and clear navigation help site visitors quickly find what they need.”

Chief executive Scott Champion says farmers are the “ultimate straight talkers” so the organisation wanted to make sure the newly revamped website did the same.

“We worked hard to get our website to where it is now, so we’re absolutely thrilled to win this award. We reckon we can do even better still, but it’s splendid to know we’re off to a good start.”

You can check out the award-winning website at www.beeflambnz.com.

Try lamb, says joint promotional group

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A joint promotional push is getting United States consumers to try lamb.

Project partners involved with the Tri-Lamb Group, which has a goal to get more Americans eating lamb, are meeting with two Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ Ltd) farmer directors.

Central South Island director, Anne Munro and Southern South Island director, Leon Black are in Idaho, representing New Zealand sheep farmers alongside their fellow Tri- Lamb Group representatives from Australia and the United States.

B+LNZ Ltd chief executive Dr Scott Champion says the collaborative promotion by the three sheep producing nations is built around the understanding that the profitability and sustainability of the lamb market in the US is important for farmers in all three countries.

“If more Americans are eating lamb, then each country stands to gain from the opportunities that increased consumption will provide.

“The programme includes online food and nutrition blogs that share lamb recipes and podcasts showing how to build simple and healthy lamb meals for the family. They’re tracking a lot of interest.

“This week the Group reviewed last year’s programme and considered continuing support for the initiative, called ‘Making Lamb Famous in the United States’.”

For the year ended 30 June, the United States was New Zealand’s third largest sheepmeat market by value (NZ$256 million), behind the United Kingdom (NZ$534 million) and Germany ($NZ275 million) and ahead of China (NZ$247 million).

View Lean on Lamb online food blog.

 

Congratulations to the Smiths

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Congratulations go to Otago sheep and beef farmers Blair and Jane Smith for winning the national title in the 2012 Ballance Farm Environmental Awards earlier this week.

The Smiths were awarded the Gordon Stephenson Trophy, having been chosen from nine regional supreme winners.

The award is sponsored by Beef and Lamb NZ Ltd (B+LNZ) because of its focus on showcasing farmers working sustainably and caring for the environment, says B+LNZ chief executive Scott Champion.

“This is the second year in a row that sheep and beef farmers have won the national trophy – Grant and Bernie Weller of Southland won it last year and undertook a B+LNZ-supported visit to Europe where they met industry representatives in key markets and had the opportunity to share their farming practices.

“We will be working with Blair and Jane Smith in the months ahead to ensure their great story of farming in an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable way is heard both within and beyond the sector,” says Champion.

Read more about the Smiths and their award here.

World Meat Congress 2012

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In June, the International Meat Secretariat’s 19th World Meat Congress will take place in Paris, attracting 1,000 meat industry participants from all over the world, including New Zealand.

Taking a turn at organising the biennial Congress this time are the two French meat and livestock associations, Interbev and Inaporc, under the official patronage of the French Ministry of Agriculture. The Congress theme is ‘Proudly producing and trading meat.’

B+LNZ Ltd chief executive Scott Champion and AgResearch’s Stewart Ledgard are two of the 40 or so speakers presenting at the two day congress.  Champion will talk about ‘Sheepmeat in Asia – what are the opportunities and challenges’, while Ledgard will look at ‘Life Cycle Assessment and the need for an internationally agreed methodology’.

Other interesting speakers include Christophe Lafougere of GIRAG, ‘Are we moving towards a world price for meat?’ and ‘Meat marketing supertrends’ from IMS marketing committee chairman Chris Lamb, plus US, China and EU views.

 

 

 

New Zealand’s ‘Steak of the Decade’

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New Zealand beef producers are lining up in the hunt for New Zealand’s top beef producer of the decade. Ten finalists were announced today in the competition that is being run to celebrate a decade of the Steak of Origin Challenge which aims to find the nation’s most tender and tasty sirloin steak.

The results of over 3,000 entries from the last nine years of competition have been analysed and will be combined with the results from this year. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Ltd’s chief executive, Dr Scott Champion says 10 years of the Steak of Origin Challenge is a significant milestone for the competition.

“This competition is keenly contested by farmers who are focused on producing the best steak and it goes from strength to strength each year,” he said. The Steak of Origin Producer of the Decade will be decided by the results of this year’s Steak of Origin challenge with semi-finalists also announced today. Ten judges from the past nine years of competition have been invited back to help determine the winner. The judging line-up includes Allyson Gofton, Sir Colin Meads, Sarah Ulmer and Associate Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Nathan Guy. An award for the Brand of the Decade will also be presented to a steak brand which has consistently delivered a quality product. The Steak of Origin semi-final will be held at Gorilla Restaurant in Christchurch on Friday 4 May followed by the Grand Final held during the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Beef Expo in Feilding on Monday 14 May, where all the winners will be announced.