The social drivers towards alternative proteins are also applicable to grass-fed NZ meats and their co-products, Marsh told the 2019 Proteintech conference called Win-Win Outcomes for People and the Planet.
The subtitle was How the Red Meat Sector is Transforming to meet Market Needs.
Grass-fed NZ red meat has a winning proposition for being both natural and sustainable and the disruption of protein markets is good for the red meat sector, she said.
Consumers do not have the time or inclination to delve deeply into their choices and are prone to grab hold of simple narratives on sustainability.
Marsh used the results of survey of 2000 New Zealanders last year done by Colmar Brunton for B+LNZ.
It showed plant-based protein and cultured meat products are seen as less natural than conventional meats.
But the alternatives are more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
On the positives side for farmed meats were consumer trust and low-risk perceptions, more versatility, better value for money and more delicious.
“The survey results showed that in terms of naturalness our clear advantage is not only over alternative proteins but other farming systems and other animal proteins like pork, chicken and fish.
“Our sector’s opportunity, therefore, is to combine this natural strength with a progressive sustainability narrative with demonstrable, positive outcomes.”
NZ thinking is moving towards growing the right food in the right place with the right motivation.
Most sheep and beef farmland is unlikely to be suitable for growing alternative proteins because of slope, soils and temperature.
Our unsuitable land is estimated to be 93% of farmland and most of the suitable 7% is already being cropped.
Sheep and cattle farms already have diversified incomes from wool, dairy grazing, deer and cash cropping.
“Alongside sheep and beef cattle, other activities are also occurring which may include cropping, honey, horticulture, forestry and tourism alongside significant tracks of regenerating native bush.
“Farmers need to be growing a range of pastures in order to improve carbon and biology in soils.
“We need to look for more opportunities to bring grazing and arable together to replenish nutrients in soil and minimise the use of fertilisers.
“The land also needs time to recuperate and animals play a key role in that.”
By contrast, monocropping is not generally good for the soil and conferred susceptibility to disease and is therefore not particularly sustainable.
Marsh said the NZ sheep and beef sector has already made significant progress to carbon neutrality because sheep numbers have been halved and greenhouse gas emissions are down 40%.
“While we are currently undertaking research to formally assess this we believe we are already close to being carbon neutral because of the 1.4 million hectares of native forest and 180,000ha of pines on our farms.
“It should be possible to achieve carbon neutrality through a combination of further productivity improvements and more tree planting on farms.”
The disruption caused by alternative proteins is also bringing about the decommoditisation of meat, she said.
People who want to eat less meat will seek out the more nutritious and environmentally sustainable options.
Our red meat sector has to tell the grass-fed stories, emphasising the differences from the mainly United States statistics on feed-lotting, grain-feeding, hormone injection and water consumption.
B+LNZ has begun a Taste Pure Nature origin brand campaign in California to cut through the noise and emphasise NZ meat is grass-fed, non-GMO and raised without antibiotics.
