The study will look at the opportunities for farmers and include a global consumer perspective to understand what potential there is for red meat exports.
B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said with increasing interest in regenerative agriculture here and abroad, sheep and beef farmers want to lead in that space.
The research will look at the market potential of regenerative agriculture, what it means to experts and the wider industry as well as governmental, consumer and expert perceptions of it.
With confusion around exactly what it is, given much of what is considered to be regenerative agriculture overseas is the natural way New Zealanders already farm, a key part of the study will be the definition.
It will benchmark the definitions against NZ farming.
Finding opportunities for different farming practices to complement what farmers do already will be key to the study, McIvor said.
It will tie together the consumer perspective, a market view and the expert views of those working in government and in relevant non-government organisations.
“We want to understand consumer perspectives on regenerative agriculture, its presence and pricing at retail, wholesale and food service, what makes it appealing, and where consumers are getting their information from and how it is shaping consumer behaviour.
“The study also looks at government and expert views of regenerative agriculture as a practice, how it compares to conventional agriculture and where it sits within sustainability debates and conversations in wider society and within government.”
McIvor said it’s important to understand whether the adoption of regenerative agriculture could have benefits for the sheep and beef sector by further improving environmental sustainability, offering a way of framing the sector’s sustainability narrative in a manner all relevant stakeholders can understand.
They include farmers, meat industry, consumers and regulator.
The aim is to ultimately capture more value for NZ red meat products, farmers and NZ overall.
There is significant interest among NZ farmers and while B+LNZ has already been in contact with many McIvor encourages others with an interest in the project to get in touch.
The release of a final report is expected by the end of the year.
