And following the departure of two key board members, young blood is being groomed to drive the industry forward, interim NZ Pork chairman Ben Voice said.
After seven years as the public face of the industry, North Otago pig farmer and NZ Pork Industry Board chairman Ian Carter has stepped down from the helm, a year ahead of his retirement date.
Voice, a Canterbury pig farmer, will finish his time on the board come July 31, the pair taking many years of industry experience with them.
NZ Pork is also seeking to replace its chief executive following the departure of David Moffett after just six months in the role.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for the industry body.
“While it’s never good to lose experience and expertise we have some very capable young blood lined up and that’s actually very exciting,” Voice said.
“When I say young blood we are talking about young farmers under 40 years so their future in the industry is all before them.”
Last week Jason Palmer was named the successful candidate in the election to replace Voice.
“He’s what I call a young farmer – I don’t know just how old but anyone under 40 is a young farmer.”
Palmer, an equity partnership pig farmer at Dunsandel just south of Christchurch, will take up his board position on August 1.
“Nominations are open to fill the seat left vacant by Carter and we are hopeful this will also be filled by a young farmer, likely a female and that will broaden the diversity of the board table even more.”
Voice paid tribute to the industry’s departed chairman.
“The industry is hugely indebted to the achievements under Ian’s time as chairman.
“He contributed expertise on many fronts. We have lost a very intelligent, passionate and dedicated industry leader.
“He should leave very proud of the increasingly positive perception the industry has achieved under his leadership through the promotion of PigCare and the introduction of the Born and Raised in NZ trademark.”
The fact that many other sectors in the primary industry are following NZ Pork’s lead in this area underscores the forward thinking of the board and NZ Pork team over the past several years.
“A large part of Ian’s work, especially with our regulators, the supply chain and the media, was done behind the scenes. Those efforts are well recognised by the board.”
Last month Moffett told the board he intended to end his fixed-term contract early.
He left virtually immediately.
Voice said the board had considered his replacement and recommended a general manager would better fit the industry’s needs.
“In hindsight a general manager, away from the strategic planning type chief executive role, will be more appropriate.
“We will be looking for someone with a rural background to understand and communicate what the industry is about and its farming practices – this will sit alongside the promotion of our PigCare Trustmark.
“Because of the urban-rural disconnect we need someone with a deep rural understanding who is willing to work alongside the board using the expertise of farmers within the industry.”
A permanent appointment is not expected until later in the year.
Key drivers for the new board and general manger will include advocating to policy makers and politicians that NZ pig farmers are at the forefront of animal welfare and production.
Because NZ pork producers are not exporters they are totally dependent on NZ consumers so it is their interest that has to be captured.
The implementation of lowered standards has seen imported pork consumption rise to 60% of all pork eaten in NZ.
There is one million kilograms of pig meat a week flooding in from other countries and that is a huge biosecurity risk for the industry, Voice said.
“NZ pig farmers have been concerned about this for 20 years. Heightened risk means we have to practice very high-level onfarm biosecurity.”
On Voice’s two Canterbury pig farms, turning out 42,000 pigs a year, that means all visitors must not have been on another pig property for three days, they must shower on arrival at the farm and change into clothing provided.
The indoor piggeries are bird and rodent proof, the farm has its own stock truck and that is cleaned and disinfected before returning onfarm.
The stock people don’t go out of the piggery and the truck driver doesn’t go in the piggery.
“We are the top end level of onfarm biosecurity, high risk and vulnerable with increasing imports.
“We lost a lot of pigs when we got hit with post weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome in 2005.
“We learnt from that as did many in the industry.”
That’s why pork producers are leaders in biosecurity, Voice said.
