At its annual meeting in Timaru on 21 March, B+LNZ chairman Andrew Morrison told farmers that the country was “uniquely placed” to capitalise on these growing trends.
“Meat’s role in the diet is under scrutiny because of environmental and animal welfare concerns, but there is also growing demand for grass-fed, naturally raised beef and lamb, which is what New Zealand produces,” said Morrison.
He also reinforced the importance of environmental credentials in underpinning the work of Taste Pure Nature, the brand designed to build preference for New Zealand beef and lamb overseas.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is about to launch a multi-million dollar US branding campaign to educate consumers on the benefits of grass-fed meat under the Taste Pure Nature origin brand.
Morrison also reinforced the importance of environmental credentials in underpinning Taste Pure Nature.
“Over the past couple of decades our focus was on being the most productive and efficient producers in the world. Going forward, we need to remain productive, but everything has to have an environmental perspective,” he said.
B+LNZ CEO Sam McIvor focused on the work that the organisation was doing to support farmers on the ground to further lift their environmental performance.
“The environment is at the heart of everything sheep and beef farmers do. It’s why, in 2018, we launched our environment strategy with the goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, having clean fresh water surrounding our sheep and beef farms, having thriving biodiversity on-farm, and healthy and productive soils,” said McIvor.
Farmers were also updated about the challenges facing the sector in 2019, such as climate change, water quality and biodiversity, which are all set for regulatory change.