NZ red meat exporters back B+LNZ’s Kiwis Backing Farmers campaign

New Zealand’s red meat processing and exporting sector is supporting the Kiwis Backing Farmerscampaign, saying the only sustainable way for the Government to deliver better outcomes for the environment and the economy is to work with farmers.

Thecampaign, spearheaded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and rural advocacy group 50 Shades of Green, aims to highlight the cumulative effects of successive policies, such as the wholesale conversion of productive sheep and beef farms into carbon farms, on rural communities.

“New Zealand’s sheep and beef farmers are already among the most carbon efficient and environmentally sustainable producers of red meat in the world,” said Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the Meat Industry Association.

“However, successive waves of new regulation in areas such as freshwater, biodiversity and carbon farming are putting the sheep and beef farmers’ status as champions for the environment at risk.

“Many of these regulations could be much better aligned with on-farm practice, and collectively add unnecessary costs on farmers at a time when inflation and volatile global markets are putting their operations under extreme pressure.”

Ms Karapeeva says the meat processing sector is also concerned about the lack of limits on fossil fuel emitters offsetting their emissions by planting trees on productive land.

“This risks pushing more land into carbon forestry, which will have long-term consequences for the viability of rural communities and the New Zealand economy as a whole.

“We all have a deep interest in creating a cleaner, greener environment and a thriving economy, which is why we’re calling on the Government to work with sheep and beef farmers to achieve this.”

“As it stands, the red meat sector generates almost $12 billion in earnings from exports to more than 100 countries and employs 92,000 people, and by working together we can grow this in a sustainable way.”

ENDS