Northland dairy farmers have a new outlet for light, non-replacement calves, fostered by Fonterra and Federated Farmers in the province.
NZ Harvest Foods has been killing and processing these calves since the beginning of autumn and is gearing up for a much larger influx during late winter and early spring.
The company is based at the Marua abattoir near Hikurangi, where specialty processing of cattle hides for collagen fibres was carried out and is currently suspended.
The plant is owned by Scott Massey and managed by Jared Eady, both directors of NZ Harvest Foods.
The boutique abattoir has been considerably extended with mincing machines, chillers, freezers and holding pens to be able to offer the calf service, Eady said.
After killing, the hair is removed from the carcase with a method that has a patent pending. The whole frame is then minced into the meat-and-bone ingredients of pet food and frozen into blocks.
At present killing is two days a week and processing five days, with eight fulltime-equivalent staff members.
The carcase yield is 80% compared with under 50% from heavier bobby calves boned out by large meat processors, Eady said.
He expects to gear up to 400 calves a day during spring, possibly six days a week, and will recruit more part-time workers.
Under the terms of supply, from the 2023-24 season onwards Fonterra farmers must ensure all their non-replacement calves enter a value stream, being either beef, calf-veal or pet food.
On-farm euthanasia is permitted only for humane reasons.
Federated Farmers Northland president Colin Hannah said meat companies want only the heavier calves at four days old and at peak calving times of the year.
Animal welfare regulations prevent trucking of calves on longer journeys to Auckland and beyond to existing petfood plants.
Autumn calving in the north has in previous years happened without a calf pickup and processing option, which had meant on-farm enthanasia.
“Harvest Foods and the Marua plant have stepped up this year and it seems to be working.
“We told Fonterra about the problem stemming from its new non-replacement calves requirement and they have responded.”
Hannah said the Marua abattoir has helped Northland farmers out and they are grateful.
Calves delivered to Marua attract a $10 payment and if Harvest Foods organises the pick-up the farmer gets nothing.
Eady said he wants to be able to pay more and that may be possible next year when the value chain on the Marua site can be extended with more chillers and the ability to make finished pet foods.
Limited quantities of chilled beef pellets are sold locally to pet owners.
“Fonterra approached us last year to tackle this issue of non-replacement calves.
“It is no longer a waste product with the super yield, including all the hides and offals, and a very good composition for cats and dogs.”
The collection area is from Wellsford and Tapora in the south to Kaitaia in the north.
Three trucking companies are picking up calves – Kaeo, OnRoad and Mangonui.
“We haven’t stopped doing calves since the first week they started coming.”
Eady said year one is about getting the systems right and building a reliable outlet for dairy farmers.
“We are not competing with the major meat companies because we take the lower weights and we stay in our lane as a pet food manufacturer.”
