His work took a long look at how NZ farmers can grow greater consumer awareness of the care and stewardship behind grass-fed farming systems capable of providing a sustainable food option in a sector under siege from environmental, welfare and land use pressures.
One of Kidd’s key recommendations was for the primary sector to develop an overarching national environmental standard.
News this week that a pan-industry action plan for water quality was launched ticks a significant box for Kidd.
“However, my concern is this is all well and good to have a strategy but the challenge will be how do we bring all farmers along with us?
The proof will be in the pudding, the challenge will be to pick up the laggards and get them to come along too.”
The prompt for Kidd to look at how NZ agriculture can pitch itself came when he looked at a for-sale Northland property bereft of fences and plantings around waterways with stock free to wander through.
“Everything you hear about in the media was right there.
“We think we do a good job then you see something like that and understand how we end up in the media.”
His family’s contact with the media has been more positive.
It extends to his father Richard featuring in a supermarket advertisement almost a decade ago, telling his story about land and stock stewardship and what it means to be a quality food producer for that supermarket chain. His father and mother Dianne were also judged the supreme winners in 2016 Auckland Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
“In many ways the advertisement Dad was in then was ahead of its time and very relevant to what consumers are seeking today.”
His study work took him to look at Ireland’s Origin Green initiative.
As seductive as it is, Kidd was buoyed when comparing what he saw in Ireland with what he knows is unfolding in NZ.
“It showed me it is possible to have a great story to tell.
“My concern over Origin Green, though, was just aligning that story with the reality but they are working on it the whole time.”
As he sees the red meat and dairy sectors start literally at grassroots with riparian plantings and fencing here he believes NZ is on the path to having more robustness and farm-level proof behind any marketing story told to consumers.
“To be fair, the systems here are probably more intensive than in Ireland in terms of fertiliser use but we have done a great job planting and protecting and working outwards from there.”
Since coming home he has also noticed the good job NZ farmers have done protecting legacy biodiversity on their farms with the likes of QEII Trust now protecting almost 200,000ha of native bush.
“I felt we had the story, we just did not tell it that well.
“As a sector we tend to circle the wagons when facing criticism, shutting out the public more and more.”
Interestingly, one area NZ has been slow to join is the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, with Beef + Lamb NZ now due to be fully affiliated alongside the big players in global beef production.
As red meat’s sustainability is increasingly challenged Kidd’s work indicates demand growth will continue despite the perceived threat of alternative protein.
But consumers are becoming more discerning about the source of that red meat.
“It is a case of whether they will continue to be happy selecting meat that comes from animals crowded on a feed pad versus animals grazing as they have always supposed to, on open pasture.”
He acknowledges NZ beef producers have a slightly bi-polar relationship with the intense feedlot trade in the United States, relying as they do on lower-fat NZ beef to be blended with American meat.
“The challenge is to find that niche in the grass-fed market for the rest of the industry.”
Another shift in the landscape since he started his project was the discovery of Mycoplasma bovis.
Kidd found NZ’s traceability system lighter than it could be if it is to help reinforce values of welfare and quality.
“In Ireland if an animal is moved more than three times in its lifetime it cannot qualify for Origin Green certification.
“If there is any silver lining in M bovis it may be to see our system tightened up.”
Like Environment Minister David Parker, Kidd agrees a level of regulation is required to get the entire farming sector on board with welfare and environmental standards.
“The risk is always that 25% that will not be pulled over the line any other way and let the entire sector down when they fail.”
One recommendation Kidd made is to rename the Primary Industries Ministry as the Ministry of Food.
“This will just help change the mindset but it could also be we need a degree of generational change among farmers. It won’t happen overnight.”
