That said, there is a real lack of awareness and understanding of the sustainable way that we farm in New Zealand compared to other countries. As a result, we get tarred with the same brush.
Much of the global research on the health, nutritional and environmental aspects of red meat is based on grain-finished, intensive farming systems, whereas NZ, as we all know, specialises in livestock farming that is natural, grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone free. This is our real point of difference.
What is concerning, however, is that this global research and the lack of appreciation of NZ’s point of difference is influencing policy and consumption decisions at home.
That’s why telling our good story, letting people know how our food is produced and the implications for our health and the health of our planet has never been more important.
Last year, Beef + Lamb NZ and the Meat Industry Association took stock about the best way to help consumers gain a better understanding of red meat consumption and production, but more importantly, ensure it is underpinned by robust evidence, science and data.
Our goal was to ensure that those people hesitant or questioning their red meat consumption are reassured and confident that the choice they are making is the right one. And that there is credible data to support that.
We saw there was no one place that people could turn to find information to make an informed decision about the environmental, health, nutritional and economic implications of purchasing NZ red meat.
Last week, we launched a new platform called www.makingmeatbetter.nz, which is aimed at informing Kiwis about the production and consumption of red meat. It provides the science and the evidence and will not only be useful domestically, but will also help underpin the Taste Pure Nature brand globally.
We chose the name Making Meat Better because it has two meanings – firstly, we are already world-leading in the way we farm, but secondly, we still recognise there is work to be done.
At the core of this new website is a science-backed resource validated by some of the country’s leading scientists and nutritionists.
Scientific contributions and our ongoing partnerships with them are critical if the sector is to be able to balance the narrative and influence better policy outcomes that meet our environmental objectives, but also work for farmers and processors and exporters.
The Making Meat Better website is just one of the ways that we are seeking to bring balance to the conversation and inform policy makers.
Other recent examples include a sequestration report from Auckland University of Technology, which estimated between 63-118% of sheep and beef farms’ on-farm emissions are being offset by the woody vegetation on their farms.
Another example is the BakerAg Wairoa report that compared the economic contribution of the sheep and beef sector to that region compared to carbon farming.
Joint independent research commissioned by MIA and B+LNZ found that the sector generates $3300 per household in income in NZ every year.
Finally, MIA and B+LNZ are investigating the impact of pasture-raised red meat on health and wellbeing when consumed as part of a well-balanced and enjoyable diet.
The research, jointly funded with the High-Value Nutrition National Science Challenge and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), is being led by researchers from AgResearch, the Riddet Institute and the University of Auckland.
In the future, we will be releasing research on a variety of areas including updating the carbon footprint of a kilo of sheepmeat and beef.
The current methodology, which is based on GWP100, is crude and does not take account of the sequestration happening on farms or the radically different impact on warming if methane is going down. We will be looking to investigate the impact of both of these things in our new report to deepen the understanding of this important field.
We will also shortly be releasing a report on the amount of sheep and beef farmland that has been sold into forestry in the last few years to support our advocacy to get restrictions on the amount of fossil fuel emissions that emitters can currently offset through forestry.
All this goes to show the importance of the investment of farmers levies and industry funds in industry good activities, but also the value of collaboration across the sector from behind the farm gate to the plate. Increasingly, we will need to tell the entire supply chain story to our consumers and regulators.
Farmers also have an important role to play in meeting societal expectations about how they want their food produced from an animal welfare and environmental perspective. We know it’s not easy out there and the regulatory pressure is real, but farmers have organisations such as levy groups, processors and exporters and business partners to support them.
By Sam McIvor, chief executive of Beef + Lamb New Zealand Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association
