Farmers are being encouraged to join the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Sheep Poo study, a crucial part of the Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts programme ahead of the new season.

About 200 farmers have already signed up for the study, but more are needed. Farmers do not need to have had facial eczema (FE) on their farms to take part.

Dr Suzi Keeling, BLNZ sector science strategy manager, said the work will build greater knowledge of the extent of FE throughout New Zealand and the potential impact of a changing climate on the disease.

“We need 350 farmers, 22 each from 16 regions around New Zealand to join the programme,” said Keeling.

“It’s very straightforward and just involves collecting some sheep poo samples fortnightly from October-May. BLNZ covers the cost of the sampling kits and the return packaging.

“Greater knowledge about the prevalence of FE spores throughout New Zealand is important for developing tools to help farmers mitigate the impacts of the disease.”

Researchers will analyse the sheep poo samples to see if they contain the fungal spores associated with FE, which indicates the risk of FE on the farm. Farmers will receive free FE spore counts over the season, access to an online map showing results and opportunities to network with other farmers.

 Paul Crick, chair of BLNZ’s Farmer Research Advisory Group, is taking part in the study on his Wairarapa farm.

 “Facial eczema is a growing challenge for many farmers. Being part of the Sheep Poo study is a practical way to contribute to critical research that aims to eliminate the impact of FE in New Zealand.”

 The disease, associated with a toxin-producing fungus, affects pasture-grazing livestock and there is no cure. The toxin can cause permanent liver damage resulting in reduced fertility, weight loss, slowed growth, photosensitivity and sunburn. If the animal survives, its production will be limited for life. BLNZ estimates FE costs the New Zealand economy around $332 million every year.

Farmers can register their interest in participating in the Sheep Poo study by October 4.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has wrapped up its roadshow, with more than 400 farmers attending 30 meetings across the country.

BLNZ directors hit the road from July through to September to hear from farmers, in particular to test the organisation’s thinking on policy and deliver detail on its refreshed strategy.

Chair Kate Acland said discussion at the sessions was constructive with lots of good suggestions raised.

“I know things are busy on farm and I really appreciate farmers coming along to talk to us in person. As farmer-elected directors, we enjoy the opportunity to check in.” 

There were some clear themes across the meetings.

“We wanted to give farmers some detail about BLNZ’s refreshed strategy, and to see if they felt we’d gotten the balance right. 

“It appears the refreshed strategy was generally well received, and farmers particularly liked the focus on extension and on-farm profitability. 

“Some even gave us ideas for how we can implement the strategy,” Acland said.

Addressing the organisation’s thinking on policy, there was generally good support for the policy positions tested.

Attendees were given information about BLNZ’s approach to National Bottom Lines for suspended fine sediment and E coli; positions on regulated freshwater farm plans; and initial climate change positions. 

In the discussions on national bottom lines, clear themes came through, such as the importance of catchment-level involvement in setting water quality targets and having quality information to work with.

There was also a lot of helpful feedback on the risk-based approach to freshwater farm planning.  

“Farmers provided thoughtful reasons for why they agreed or disagreed with positions, which helps BLNZ to further develop our policy positions. 

“However, this is an ongoing process and there will be plenty of other opportunities for farmers to feed in as we further develop policy positions on these and other topics. 

“We want to ensure the farmer voice is reflected in our advocacy.” 

The next opportunity for in-person policy discussions will be at a series of workshops on climate change policy set down for October. 

Overall, Acland said, from initial analysis of feedback, farmers strongly agreed the meetings provided enough opportunities for input and were a good use of their time. 

“It’s great to hear farmers felt the meetings were worthwhile. 

“I encourage farmers to talk to their local farmer director any time they have questions or concerns; contact details are available on our website.” 

BLNZ staff are working through information gathered at the meetings and will provide a full report-back to farmers in the coming weeks.  

In Focus Podcast | A new strategy for advocacy

AGMARDT and KPMG have released a report that offers a new way of organising our advocacy networks. Common Ground assesses the positives and negatives of the advocacy groups we have now and sets out a strategy that could improve the collaboration and messaging emanating from the farming world. AGMARDT general manager Lee-Ann Marsh joins Bryan to discuss the report.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched the Rural Leadership Advancement Scholarship, aimed at supporting the next generation of leaders in the sheep and beef sector.

As part of this initiative, BLNZ will sponsor two sheep and beef farmers to participate in the NZ Rural Leader’s Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme in 2025. 

Each successful candidate will be paired with a BLNZ mentor relevant to their area of interest, with a tailored mentoring programme developed around them.

The scholarship is part of BLNZ’s refocused People & Capability workstream within its refreshed strategy to enhance and sustain on-farm productivity and profitability. A major focus is on growing on-farm leadership, essential for retaining talent and fostering positive workplace cultures.

BLNZ national extension programme manager Olivia Weatherburn said the scholarship isn’t just about individual development, it is also designed to benefit the wider sector. Recipients will share their project findings and experiences at a series of BLNZ events, ensuring that the knowledge gained contributes to the growth and success of all levy payers.

 “This scholarship offers farmers a unique chance to participate in the NZ Rural Leader’s Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and develop a project that benefits their community and the wider industry,” she said.

“With support and mentorship from BLNZ, these farmers will gain valuable leadership skills, build supporting networks and make a lasting impact.

“We encourage all eligible farmers to apply and take this important step in their professional development.” 

The finalists for the 2024 Beef + Lamb New Zealand Awards have been announced.  

The awards celebrate the people, innovation, technologies and farming systems that make New Zealand’s red meat industry world-leading. 

Rowena Hume, BLNZ’s general manager, insights and communication, said she was pleased with both the number and quality of entries across all eight categories. This made judging particularly challenging, but it highlighted the depth of talent and innovation in the red meat sector. 

“The judging team of farmers and industry professionals did have a difficult job, but all the finalists are making a positive contribution to our sheep, beef and dairy-beef sector and it is a privilege to be able to recognise their work. 

“It has been a particularly challenging year for farmers and it’s even more important than ever that we celebrate success within our industry.” 

Hume said BLNZ, along with award partner Farmlands and other sponsors, is looking forward to hearing the winners announced at the awards dinner at Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton on  October 10. 

Tickets for the awards are available on the BLNZ website.  

The finalists are:  

• AgResearch Emerging Achiever Award   

Lana Chrystal (Taihape), Mitchel Hoare (Te Kūiti),  Martin Reisima (Masterton). 

• Rabobank People Development Award  

Growing Future Farmers (National), Hereheretau Station (Wairoa), Lone Star Farms (Nelson). 

• FMG Rural Champion Award   

Harriet Bremner-Pinckney (Otautau), New Zealand Farm Environment Trust (National),  Royalburn Station Ltd (Arrowtown). 

• Alliance Significant Contribution Award   

Bryan Hocken MNZM (Tarata), Ian McIvor (Palmerston North), Rod Slater (Auckland).

• Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science and Research Award  

Andy Dumbleton (Lincoln), Dr David Hume (Palmerston North), Anne Ridler (Palmerston North). 

• Datamars Livestock Technology Award   

Farm IQ Freshwater Farm Plan Tool (National), Halter (National), Zoetis SHEPHERD  (National). 

• Gallagher Innovative Farming Award   

FE Gold (National), Fernglen Farm (Masterton), Motumatai Pastoral Ltd (Masterton), 

• Silver Fern Farms Market Leader Award   

Conscious Valley (Wellington), Headwaters (Nelson), Ongaha (Featherston). 

A Taste Pure Nature “Banquet of Nature” campaign in China has seen Shanghai clearly keen to learn more about New Zealand’s world-leading grass-fed red meat.

Targeting conscious foodie consumers in Shanghai, the Beef + Lamb NZ (BLNZ) campaign showcased the exceptional quality of New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb with custom video viewing exceeding all expectation.  

BLNZ partnered with Shanghai bistro chain Alimentari to launch a limited time “Banquet of Nature” special menu at five popular bistros.  

The collaboration’s star ingredients were NZ grass-fed beef from Silver Fern Farms and grass-fed lamb branded Pure South from Alliance Group. 

The chefs crafted fusion dishes inspired by NZ’s pristine environment, highlighting the unique flavours and quality of NZ red meat.  

BLNZ global manager Michael Wan said it is clear the campaign resonated with Chinese conscious foodie consumers.  

“Consumers showed great interest and a strong intention to purchase our products following the campaign. 

“Many expressed a deeper understanding of NZ grass-fed beef and lamb and noted the distinct taste difference compared to grain-fed meat. 

“In using campaign ambassador Shen Hongfei and his popular Shen’s Dining Room channel, our custom videos had around 21 million views, with over 339,000 engagements,” Wan said.  

These popular episodes, shared across Shen’s Chinese social media platforms, had a 160% higher viewership, and “an astounding” 1,298% higher engagement rate compared to one of Shen’s signature collaborations with a well-known international brand in the food and beverage sector. 

“We have had an incredible response to these episodes that delved into the grass-fed approach, nutritional value and rich natural flavours of NZ beef and lamb. 

“It clearly shows an interest from Chinese consumers to learn more about our world-leading grass-fed red meat and what makes the eating experience so unique.” 

The episodes, released on popular Chinese social media channels, provided in-depth insights about the grass-fed approach, nutritional value, and rich natural flavours of NZ grass-fed beef and lamb. 

They discussed how to combine health and deliciousness, leading the audience to more intuitively experience the pure nature of NZ and the high quality of beef and lamb.  

The campaign gained notable media coverage from Forbes China and Le You TV, with two in-depth interviews having an estimated combined 515,269 impressions.

BLNZ chair Kate Acland said the aim of such marketing activities is to bring NZ beef and lamb into the daily lives of more Chinese consumers. 

“We want to enable more Chinese conscious foodie consumers to understand and appreciate the unique value of NZ grass-fed beef and lamb, promote consumption, and strengthen co-operation between China and NZ in the red meat trade sector.” 

As New Zealand’s top athletes gear up for the Paris Olympics Games, the hands of those who feed them are front of mind.

In January, Beef + Lamb New Zealand announced a newly inked partnership agreement with the NZ Olympic Committee as the basis for a domestic promotion campaign of beef and lamb.

At the time, BLNZ CEO Kit Arkwright said the partnership with the NZ Olympic team builds on farmer support for the Iron Maidens.

BLNZ caught up with some of NZ’s Olympians at National Fieldays in June, where they had a clear message for our farmers – they are proud of all the work you do, often behind the scenes, and grateful for fuelling them with nutritious red meat in their quest for gold. 

“I’m really proud of all the farmers out there. The mahi you put in behind the scenes doesn’t go unnoticed. From our team, we want to thank you so much for all the work you’re putting in behind the scenes,” said BLNZ ambassador and Olympics Rugby Sevens Stacey Waaka.

Commenting the partnership, NZ Olympic Committee CEO Nicki Nicol said it’s a natural fit.

“BLNZ’s ongoing support of our celebrated athletes is a testament to their commitment to sport and excellence in NZ. We’re thrilled to have them join our family of partners,” she said.

The Paris Olympic Games kick off on July 26.

The recent announcement by Beef + Lamb NZ and the Meat Industry Association signalling the transfer of responsibility for the Taste Pure Nature programme to meat exporters suggests there are several reasons for the change. 

It is four years since the initiative was first introduced to farmers as a desirable way to promote the sustainability of New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb to target groups of international consumers. BLNZ had to take leadership of what was a generic programme because meat exporters were unenthusiastic about putting money into generic promotion as distinct from their own company brands.

BLNZ says it is really pleased with the success of the programme in demonstrating the value of country of origin branding and now feels the time is right to hand over campaign leadership to the meat exporters. 

Although the farmer organisation will continue to invest money, this change of emphasis is consistent with its intention to concentrate its efforts behind the farmgate in line with the wishes of the levy payers. Meanwhile, Meat Industry Association (MIA) members want greater emphasis placed on enhancing New Zealand’s country of origin reputation.

Apart from the transfer of leadership to the MIA, the biggest change under the new structure is the funding arrangement whereby MIA and BLNZ will each inject $2 million over three years, while there are discussions with the Ministry for Primary Industries about obtaining matching government support. 

China, probably Shanghai, will be the main focus of the programme, which means work in the Californian market will effectively cease, at least for the time being. However, BLNZ chair Kate Acland believes the work undertaken there already has positioned exporters really well to continue building the profile for New Zealand’s sustainable grass-fed beef and lamb.

Silver Fern Farms’ chief customer officer, Dave Courtney, sees the value of a focused, well-resourced country of origin programme in a crowded marketplace, which other exporting countries such as the United States, Ireland and Australia have proved delivers cutthrough with both direct customers and consumers. 

“Silver Fern Farms sees merit in working and investing in collaboration with other New Zealand exporters to build a visible platform of country of origin recognition in China, sharing the unique story of our farming systems to generate consistent demand and stable returns for suppliers.” 

He sees it as a sensible way to achieve some critical scale that will help position New Zealand red meat as a premium brand in the market. 

MIA chair Nathan Guy cites the heavy promotional presence of competing countries’ red meat industries at major food fairs in China while New Zealand has had nothing comparable. 

He confirms all MIA Council members (that is, chief executives of meat exporters) voted overwhelmingly to take over responsibility for Taste Pure Nature as a country of origin programme over and above individual company brands.

The fact that the first three years will be funded out of existing funding streams, rather than by individual company contributions, probably made it an easier sell. An extension of the programme beyond the third year may be more difficult and will depend on several factors: the measured effectiveness of the campaign, continued support from the MPI and BLNZ, and the level of exporter profitability at the time.

Generic promotion of red meat has traditionally been taken on by BLNZ and its predecessors, notably in the form of the New Zealand lamb rosette in the United Kingdom, which dated from 1923. 

In the 1960s the Meat Board took responsibility for marketing and price-setting for lamb, established offices in several overseas countries and in 1982 took over buying and selling of all sheepmeat for a time. As the relationship with UK and European Union retail chains evolved and chilled lamb quota increased from a very low base through the 1990s, the residual awareness of the lamb rosette supported sales and value growth, but this has lessened over time. 

Beef marketing received much less attention over the years because, after Britain joined the EU, New Zealand no longer enjoyed guaranteed beef access to the UK and Europe and the majority of sales to North America were in the form of grinding beef for blending into hamburgers. 

Hot-boning, cheaper than the cold-boning essential for prime beef, became more prevalent and prime beef, which was viewed unfavourably in comparison with grain-fed product in many markets, declined. 

The country of origin partnership between BLNZ and meat exporters has been a long time in the making because of the farmer representative predecessor organisation’s long-held control of sales and marketing in addition to the processing companies’ lack of profitability. Until the 1990s meat plants were inefficient and heavily unionised, built to process large volumes of subsidised lamb, mutton and cull dairy cows. 

Prime cattle were a relatively small part of the throughput, while traditional processors continued to cold-bone prime for the domestic market, south and east Asia and Canada. ANZCO evolved out of the Meat Board’s Japanese and Korean offices and it is no surprise that company has emerged as the most successful New Zealand exporter to those markets, underpinned by its grain finishing 5 Star beef feedlot to produce the marbled beef much sought after in Japan. But until Taste Pure Nature there has been no concerted campaign to promote New Zealand grass-fed prime beef. 

It isn’t obvious to me how the successor to Taste Pure Nature under MIA leadership will be structured. Guy assures me it will have a very strong commercial focus under the leadership of the exporters’ marketing managers. This does not explain who will actually do the work, as the MIA is not a marketing operation with the requisite skills, nor will individual exporters have spare experts in social media and online promotion to handle a generic campaign.

Perhaps the domestic marketing operation Beef + Lamb New Zealand (Inc), not to be confused with the farmer organisation Beef + Lamb New Zealand, would be the logical place for this programme to be located, since its main responsibility is to develop programmes for the promotion of New Zealand beef and lamb. It has also done a very good job and has the right set of skills. Watch this space!

Beef + Lamb New Zealand directors are about to hit the road on a national tour to update farmers and seek input to help shape the future of the industry.

BLNZ chair Kate Acland said the informal sessions are a great opportunity for farmers to get insights from BLNZ and help test current thinking on key policy issues. 

“Last year’s farmer feedback sessions were really helpful for directors to hear what was on farmers’ minds.  

“We also heard from farmers that they’d like a more structured approach to future meetings, with some more concrete information, so we’ve designed this year’s roadshow with that in mind.”

Acland said there will still be a chance for farmers to tell BLNZ what is important to them.

At the meetings, which will run from July 29 to September 5 at about 30 locations nationwide, local farmer directors and senior BLNZ staff will outline how BLNZ’s work is now more strongly focused behind the farm gate on farmers’ productivity and profitability.  

“We’re also keen to explain our current thinking on key policy issues like freshwater and climate change, and to test that thinking with farmers,” Acland said.  

“We’ve been talking to groups of farmers about what they think we should be looking for from government on policy changes that are underway, and this is a chance to add your voice to this process.” 

Acland said the sessions are part of BLNZ’s commitment to farmers and ensuing their voices are reflected in its advocacy.  

More information on dates and locations is available on BLNZ’s website.

Meat exporting companies are taking over the Taste Pure Nature marketing programme established by Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

The Meat Industry Association (MIA) will lead the programme with meat companies designing, governing and funding activity using the brand and associated programmes.

BLNZ chair Kate Acland said the levy body will transition to a supporting role, having established Taste Pure Nature in 2019.

She said the brand has achieved its aim of showing global red meat consumers how their meat is produced after earlier research revealed they knew little about NZ farming systems.

“There are growing concerns about the environmental and animal welfare aspects of red meat production, and pressure to reduce meat consumption,” she said.

“At the same time, we are seeing growing interest in natural, grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free meat, which is the way NZ farms.”

Research also found that country of origin is the primary factor when a consumer considers what food to buy and it is also a shortcut to understanding and trust.

Acland said surveys show Taste Pure Nature has helped address some of those consumer concerns.

A quarterly brand survey last year found more United States and Chinese consumers are aware of, and looking for, NZ grass-fed beef and lamb.

In the United States, Taste Pure Nature continues to influence conscious foodies in California, with 79% saying they would consider buying NZ lamb as a result of seeing the campaign, while 75% expressed the same interest in beef. 

Acland said the first market targeted under the new ownership structure will be China, given competition from other red meat exporting countries.

MIA chair Nathan Guy said exporting companies will collectively lead the marketing programme.

“We believe this new phase will help unlock greater value for our brand and the NZ red meat sector as a whole.

“Importantly, this programme will play a key role in ensuring our relevance against the increasingly fierce competition in markets such as China.”

Under the agreement, BLNZ will retain ownership of the intellectual property and companies will take the lead in using the brand in marketing programmes. A governance board, on which BLNZ will have a seat, will be established to manage the investment.

Acland said BLNZ and MIA will each contribute $2 million to the programme over three years to maintain its momentum.

BLNZ and MIA are in discussions with the government about potential support for the programme. 

The brand has been used as an integrated marketing programme that operates alongside exporters and includes digital and social media marketing, media and influencer relations, events and advertising.

By Kate Acland, chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

The recent announcement by the government that agriculture is to be removed from the Emissions Trading Scheme was met with widespread approval from the primary sector.

But it does leave the question of what next? It’s clear that the government’s intention is not to “do nothing”, and the expectation remains that agriculture should “play its part”. 

A Beef + Lamb New Zealand (BLNZ) review of livestock numbers using the most up-to-date figures suggest that agriculture is well on its way to meeting, and in the case of sheep, exceeding the current 2030 methane targets. 

But most of this reduction has happened due to a reduction in stock numbers through land use change and the planting of trees on productive land. 

A price or a tax on livestock emissions is a blunt tool that would exacerbate this, risking the loss of our iconic mosaic landscapes and the important role that extensive hill country farming plays. Let’s also not forget sheep and beef farms also help safeguard New Zealand’s biodiversity.

Sheep and beef farmers are looking after a large portion of indigenous biodiversity, with 24% of the country’s native vegetation cover on sheep and beef farms, second only to the conservation estate.

This reduction in stock numbers, particularly from our hill country, is not positive, it’s not good for the New Zealand economy, and given that we are among the most carbon efficient producers of protein in the world, it’s not great news for the planet either.

We need to find and embrace solutions that won’t put the production of world-class beef and lamb at risk.

The country’s methane targets are currently under review, and we’re hopeful these will be reviewed based on the science around the warming impact of methane.

There are various views as to what these targets should be, but regardless, they won’t be zero. New Zealand has emissions reductions to make and international obligations to meet.

As an agriculture sector, we’re at a critical juncture. We can continue to make “progress” towards targets through de-intensification, destocking and land use change – or we can embrace the investment in technology that will reduce methane emissions from our livestock that will allow us to maintain and even grow our production base.

With the government making the call to remove agriculture from the ETS, we are now presented with an opportunity. 

We need to do more of what we’re best in the world at, not less. It’s in no one’s interest for the agriculture sector to shrink further in this country.

We are well placed to position ourselves as the most nature-positive red meat producers in the world, balancing climate, water and biodiversity.

We have several organisations and groups in New Zealand working to support that goal, with the help of investment from successive governments in finding methane mitigation technologies and improving animal efficiency. 

Although most of these technologies aren’t commercially available yet, science has shown that it’s theoretically possible to reduce methane while maintaining production and product quality – so it’s only a matter of time.

We should celebrate and champion these efforts, the scientists and the people and companies investing, because we know our competitors overseas are chasing the same goal. 

But too often we see stones being thrown at those looking for the solutions that could open up the opportunity to maintain or grow our production levels and extract more value in the market.

BLNZ is currently undertaking a study of what other countries are doing in the emissions mitigation space. It’s clear that customers are pushing their supply chains for action and farmers in other parts of the world are viewing this as an opportunity. 

But the critical difference is farmers internationally aren’t being taxed, they are being incentivised to embrace technology and are being recognised for their efforts.

Stories of New Zealand are intertwined with the stories of agriculture and of innovation. In fact, it’s been innovation and a willingness by our farmers and growers to embrace change that has made our sector as strong as it is today. The current investment into methane mitigation is the next step in this change and innovation journey.

Brand New Zealand is by its very nature a country that cares about its environment. People will and do pay a premium for this. Right now, we have the choice: do we further grow this brand, or do we allow another country to take our place?