We don’t want to feed the world
Opinion
If you think our meat is premium, export boss has a wake-up call. The world wants our quality products but we need to tell our story.
The Sunday Star-Times series ‘‘Meat under heat’’ has led to a robust debate among farmers. I speak with farmers every day and they tell me that while they understand the scale of challenges outlined in the series, they are excited about the future and the opportunities which lie ahead. Farmers certainly do not have their heads in the sand.
They can see for themselves the rise of alternative proteins and I know a number, like me, who have tried an Impossible Burger and other similar products. I consider myself a bit of a meat connoisseur and cooked well, the Beyond Burger was a realistic substitute.
That’s why we’ve invested in a large research project to better understand the implications of alternative proteins. Early conclusions indicate that alternative proteins are likely to become major competition. It also showed, however, that the same forces driving investment and demand for alternative proteins, including concerns about industrial (feedlot) farming; health concerns arising from the use of hormones and antibiotics; environmental and animal welfare concerns, offer an opportunity to differentiate New Zealand red meat internationally.
I travelled through America last year, and ate at alternative protein restaurants and spoke with consumers. What really stuck me is how little people knew about New Zealand and how we farmed. As soon as I started to tell them about what we did, many of them said that is the kind of meat that they want.
It may also come as a surprise to some readers that in many of our global markets, New Zealand red meat does not currently command a premium. In fact, what was most startling for me personally was our research reporting Syrian lamb in a Dubai butcher’s shop was more expensive than New Zealand lamb. We want to change that. Rather than trying to produce more, we want to get more from it, and to do that we need to tell our story better.
We agree there has been a decrease in sheep meat and beef consumption in New Zealand over the last decade, but not to the extent that OECD figures suggest. Our view differs on why that decrease is occurring – our research shows the consumer’s highest priority is price (compared to other meats like chicken and pork); followed by taste and enjoyment, health and nutrition, and then environmental concerns.
There is no doubt in my mind that factory farming and ‘big food’ has tarnished the reputation of all red meat. The good news is farming in New Zealand is free-range and natural, and in a number of markets people are willing to pay more for this kind of product.
There is massive potential. In the US alone, retail sales of labelled fresh grass-fed beef including domestic and imports reached US$272 million (NZ$368m) in 2016, up from US$17m in 2012. Sales are doubling every year.
The global population is swelling with a forecast one billion extra people to feed by 2030. New Zealand’s total agricultural production can feed about 40 million people. We can’t, and don’t want to try to feed the world.
Farmers share the consumer’s increasing concern at environmental issues. We are pleased the series acknowledged what sheep and beef farmers are doing environmentally. This backs my observations and conversations with farmers who are actively seeking to understand the issues on their farms, whether it is
Rather than trying to produce more, we want to get more from it, and to do that we need to tell our story better.
sediment, phosphate or nitrogen, and are taking action.
We absolutely get the rationale for developing alternative proteins to feed the billions of people, but we are not seeking to feed all these additional people.
Far from a crisis for red meat, we see this change as tremendous opportunity.
This will be done by telling the New Zealand Red Meat Story of naturally-raised, grass fed meat.
As farmers, we love a challenge. We’re in the business of natural food and this country is perfectly positioned to benefit from the unprecedented global demand for sustainably produced premium natural protein.
Sam McIvor is chief executive of Beef + Lamb