Tag Archives: venison

In the news this week …

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We’re starting a new weekly round-up of the week’s top meaty news items. Changes to shipping arrangements have been front page news here in New Zealand and will probably be on the minds of delegates for next Monday’s Red Meat Sector Conference in Queenstown. But there’s also been a ‘world first’ for venison scanning, among other items.

Starting from next month, ports in Wellington and Nelson will be added to Maersk’s Southern Star run, which links New Zealand directly to the Malaysian hub port Tanjung Pelepas, according to the Dominion Post. The more reliable service with the dedicated hub will attract chilled meat exporters, Centreport’s operations general manager Steve Harris is quoted as saying, ” … because the time that the product is on the shelf in Europe … is critical.”

This followed the news, earlier in the week when shippers Maersk and Hamburg-Sud announced that they are withdrawing container pickups from the Port of Timaru, slicing $6 million off that Port’s annual revenue and resulting in the loss of about 50 port jobs. The service will be streamlined and will now operate from Napier to Otago. The new arrangements will come into place in mid-September, just prior to the start of the new meat export season.

Also in Timaru, in what’s said to be a “world first for venison scanning”, meat scanning technology already used for lamb and cattle is to be introduced for deer at Alliance Group’s new venison processing chain at Timaru’s Smithfield site later in the season.

Meanwhile, deer farmers are eyeing Europe, as exporters organise their chilled venison contracts for the European game season, according to a Fairfax news report. Venison prices are said to have “so far maintained a level of stability reflected in the meat schedule prices deer producers were being paid.”

New Zealand beef was amongst a ‘greymarket’ consignment of smuggled goods on a container ship seized by Chinese authorities after attempts were made to smuggle it into China. The frozen meat cargo worth US$10 million also contained other beef, chicken wings and pork from the US, Brazil and Australia. One Australian industry commentator has estimated the smuggled meat trade from Hong Kong, Schenzen and Vietnam accounts for 500,000 tonnes each year. Lower tariff rates for New Zealand meat, as a result of the free trade deal with China will make this trade less profitable for smugglers. However, concerns are for food safety of the smuggled perishable products as the cold chain may not be managed efficiently.

Click on any of the links to read more about each item.

NZ export revenue expected to decline in 2012/2013

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New Zealand’s primary sector export revenue is expected to decline in 2012/13, as prices for commodities, such as New Zealand lamb, beef and venison, continue to come under pressure, according to a new report from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

Releasing its latest annual review of the sector, Situation and Outllook for Primary Industries 2012, MPI deputy director-general Paul Stocks noted that the prices for New Zealand’s primary industries are falling from relatively high levels but in general remain quite favourable. “Production this season has been generally good – even great for some – due to favourable climatic conditions.”

Summarising the sector, the review notes that meat and wool export revenues are expected to increase by 5.8%, to reach $7.2 billion, in the year ending 30 June 2012, owing to increased meat volumes and wool prices. Prices have been at high levels but now lamb schedule prices are falling back faster and further than the normal seasonal decline, says MPI. “This is because price-conscious consumers in Europe have shifted to less expensive meats. Some further falls are expected, but these should be modest because of lower stock numbers here and overseas.”

For beef, demand and schedule prices have held up better because of robust demand from Asian markets and falls in supply in the US and Australia.

Prices for venison have been falling since September 2011 and are forecast to bottom out in the first six months of 2012 and then rise slowly over the outlook period, reflecting decreasing supply from New Zealand and continuing demand.

The report shows that the meat sector has seen increased meat production this year as a result of favourable climate and pasture conditions.

Exchange rates continue to be of concern – and the greatest area of forecast uncertainty – says MPI.

A pdf copy of the report can be downloaded at the MPI’s website (Publications, News and Resources), where you can also order a hardcopy.

Eton College chef ‘perfectly seasoned’

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Louisa Matthews: 2012 UK-NZ Culinary Challenge winner.

New Zealand venison featured in a British competition for young chefs in April.

The winner of the 2012 Air NZ UK-NZ Culinary Challenge is 20-year-old Louisa Matthews, a young chef from Eton College in Windsor. She fought off tough competition from eight other finalists in a cook-off at Westminster Kingsway College in London to win the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to New Zealand on a three-week study trip experiencing the country’s top restaurants, visiting award-winning vineyards and suppliers, with the option of one week to explore the country.

Showcasing New Zealand venison, manuka honey and Bramley apples, Louisa’s award-winning menu comprised ‘perfectly seasoned and richly flavoured’ roast seabass with aioli crab croquette, mussel stew and winter vegetables, roast loin of venison, venison tortellini and Foie Gras foam; and a steamed manuka honey sponge, caramelised Bramley apple ice-cream and nettle beignet.

The UK-NZ Culinary Challenge was founded by well known Kiwi chef Peter Gordon, owner/chef of Providores and Tapa Room in London. Gordon commented that the eight finalists – all chosen from high calibre entries – “did themselves proud. Dishes were very creative with a good use of secondary cuts of venison from the rib cooked on the bone through to liver and kidneys, along with other interesting ingredients such as foraged foods and pulses. In the kitchen, the amount of gadgetary was a far cry from  the days of young chefs simply using a knife and pan, with molecular gastronomy making an appearance in the form of pea jellies through to foams.

“The qualty of the entries is a fantastic indication of how highly respected the competition is amongst tutors and employers around the UK in regards to the advancement of their junior staff and students.”

Steve Mulcahy, vice-president of competition organiser the British Craft Guild of Chefs, commented that he had no doubt Louisa will be a great ambassador for the competition when she travels to New Zealand to take up this once in a lifetime prize.

The other finalists were: Laura Daniels (Manchester College; Trung Nguyen (Westminster Kinsway College); Luke Orwin (Pan Heggarty Restaurant, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne); Joshua Saunders (Worcester College of Technology); Thomas Sturrock (Kopapa Restaurant, London).

Judges included: Peter Gordon, chef/proprieter The Providores and Tapa Room; David Mulcahy, culinary director Sodexco and Ireland; Anna Hansen, chef/proprieter The Modern Pantry; Sophie Wright, previous winner of the challenge and celebrity chef; and Cristian Hossack, head chef Providores and Tapa Room.

The UK-NZ Culinary Challenge is generously sponsored by Air New Zealand, Dudson, Bleeding Heart Restaurant, Trinity Hill Wines, Providores & Tapa Room, New Zealand Venison, New Zealand Society, Bramley Apples, Comvita and NZ Trade & Enterprise.

www.uknzculinarychallenge.com

 

Mandatory livestock tracing one step closer

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A Bill to deliver electronic national identification and tracing of livestock passed its third and final reading in Parliament In February.

Primary Industries Minister David Carter says the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Bill is a significant step in protecting farmers in the international marketplace and strengthening New Zealand’s biosecurity system.

The NAIT bill sets out the legal framework for the collection of information on livestock, their location and movement history throughout their lifetime. It also outlines the governance arrangement and powers for the NAIT organisation.

“NAIT needs to be mandatory to be effective,” the Minister says. It will begin with cattle on 1 July this year and deer by 1 March 2013.

“With most other agricultural producing nations already having computerised tracing of individual animals, New Zealand simply cannot afford to lag behind,” he said, adding that NAIT is essentially an insurance policy to support New Zealand’s high livestock health status and biosecurity infrastructure, but can also be used to further improve productivity and on-farm management.

The meat industry supports the introduction of NAIT as it will give greater assurance to customers of the wholesomeness of New Zealand meat products.

New Zealand venison: the ‘rockstar’ of meat

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Brad Farmerie, chef owner of New York restaurant ‘Public’.

New Yorkers got the clear message last October that New Zealand venison is the healthy red meat.

A story aired at prime-time on the ABC channel WABC featuring New York chef Brad Farmerie and a well known nutrition advisor Heidi Skolnik talking about the quality, versatility and healthy attributes of Cervena venison, from New Zealand.

According to Farmerie, “Grilled, pan seared or smoked, venison is the new “it” food,” and he should know. At his Soho restaurant Public, he prepares and serves about 10 thousand portions of it each year.

“I know for a fact, this is going to be a rockstar meat going forward, next year, the year after and everywhere from then on,” he says.

Even health food experts agree. Heidi Skolnik, a nutritionist for the New York Knicks, calls it a nutrient powerhouse, pointing out the cut is packed full of iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

“There are less calories, less fat and more nutrients than in a chicken breast and we think of chicken as healthy, which it is but this is like all of the benefits of a red meat with a fifth of the fat of beef,” Skolnik explains.

The three minute story also showed chef Farmerie, who holds a coveted Michelin star for his restaurant Public – NYC, preparing some of the dishes using Cervena venison that he serves in his restaurant.

WABC is a top rating news channel covering the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut – the three states have a combined population of over 18 million.

New Zealand exports around $20 million worth of venison to the USA each year.  Cervena venison is a quality scheme shared by most venison exporting companies that guarantees the venison is farm-raised, tender and delicious.  Deer Industry New Zealand works with venison marketing companies to increase demand for New Zealand venison.

The coverage resulted from work done by Deer Industry New Zealand.  DINZ hosted a function at Public on 12 October, inviting food editors, nutritionists and chefs to an evening to sample New Zealand venison dishes created by Farmerie and to sample New Zealand wines.  About 60 attended, representing food and lifestyle media including Oprah, Dr Oz, The Food Network channel and Food Arts.

The food editor of WABC, Kemberly Richardson took little persuading to produce a story about New Zealand venison, and following filming sessions with Farmerie and an interview with Skolnik, the results screened on October 19.

See the clip below: