As we have reported in recent weeks these market disruptors have money and a marketing story that will resonate with many consumers and prove difficult for animal protein producers to counter.
Backers of these companies are not hiding their motivation for manufacturing products that are animal-free, and have little environmental impact yet look and taste like animal-derived meat or milk.
The founders of two bug United States plant protein companies are openly vegan and they have total disdain for factory-farmed animals, which will no doubt be a central stanza in the marketing of their products.
This creates a considerable risk to New Zealand’s livestock industry of being linked by association with factory farming but, equally, it creates an opportunity.
There will always be demand for animal protein and we have a great, free-range, grass fed animal protein production story to tell consumers but it is not a message we can assume they know and understand.
Questions will be asked and there will be pressure on animal protein producers as those promoting plant-based products muscle in.
They will be aided by reinvigorated extremist groups like Greenpeace, Farm Watch and Safe using malicious and deceitful terms such as industrial dairy and animal cruelty to refer to our pastoral farming system.
These market-disrupting companies have money and the backing of some of the world’s wealthiest individuals and large fund managers who will not flinch at investing more money to fund marketing that will inevitably discredit competing animal protein.
As an industry we need to ask do we front-foot this challenge or wait and go into defence mode?
We believe we should be proactive and consider the merits of a brand to promote and differentiate our free-range, grass fed animal protein.
NZ has a compelling story but we need to unite as a livestock industry to ensure our consumers know about it or we risk watching our market share erode.
