$390k funding boost

RESEARCH announced by Beef + Lamb New Zealand earlier this year on regenerative agriculture has received a $390,000 funding boost from the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The research, originally focusing on New Zealand’s sheep and beef products, was also broadening to include a wine industry perspective.

In a statement, Beef + Lamb chief executive Sam McIvor said the research would now be even more useful.

‘‘While Covid19 has delayed this work, it has also acted as a wakeup call about future challenges and opportunities. Perhaps now more than ever the time is right to evaluate consumer and wider industry understanding and attitudes towards products produced using regenerative agriculture,’’ Mr McIvor said.

The research would provide the sheep, beef and wine sectors, as well as the wider food and fibre sectors, their first largescale evidencebased picture of the potential market upsides — or downsides — of regenerative agriculture.

There had been a global surge in interest about regenerative agriculture in the last couple of years and major multinationals such as Danone and General Mills were exploring the marketing of regenerativelyproduced products, he said.

‘‘ . . . it’s critical we understand what consumers think and how influential players are acting,’’ he said.

MPI was the majority funder of the research through its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund.

Results were expected early next year.