Emerging proteins we should be growing here

Bryan Gibson TECHNOLOGY Food and bre

ANEW report has identified four types of emerging protein that New Zealand could be a leader in producing – but one of the authors warns that the country’s defensive attitude must change if it is to catch up with other food-producing nations.

FoodHQ’s report, Unleashing Aotearoa NZ’s Next Protein Revolution, focuses on NZ’s chances of success in producing 10 of these novel proteins.

The four that rank highest are hemp, leafy greens, seaweed and fungi.

FoodHQ chief executive Dr Victoria Hatton said the report builds on two other pieces of work that identified the options and highlighted the need to understand where our strengths could align with the sector.

“The intention of the report was to really help us understand how we can best go about contributing to the emerging protein supply market based on what our ‘uniqueness’ is and that hasn’t been looked at before,” Hatton said.

“How can we take advantage of some of the capabilities NZ has, things that we are good at, and what does our infrastructure look like?”

NZ lacks the resources and investment that other nations have, so it is vital we make smart decisions that can build upon our strengths as a food producer, she said.

Can we have dairy with hemp growing as a rotational crop? Could we have dairy and an indoor shed that’s a vertical growing system for leafy greens?

Dr Victoria Hatton FoodHQ

The types of protein covered in the report were ranked against four metrics: competition, natural resources, know-how and regulation.

Precision fermentation, for example, would be challenging because NZ’s rules on genetic modification would need to change to allow production.

Similarly, cultured meat is made using processes NZ is good at, but its main ingredient is sugar, which would have to be imported from overseas.

Hatton said new products require a lot of investment so government funds will be needed to get started.

“The whole concept of an emerging sector is that it is emerging, so we have very few industry leaders and they are really struggling financially because they are trying to make products in a market which is really hard – they’re still at the research and development stage for some of them,” she said.

Another major obstacle Hatton identifies is the attitude many in the food and fibre sector have to emerging proteins.

“We’re already seven to 10 years behind in some of these protein classes because we’ve had this defensive view of our more traditional protein products.

“It’s prevented us from having the open discussion around the possibilities for diversification. I think we can have it all. If you think about the future of food production in NZ, and you think about landscape resilience, we can’t expect to just be doing dairy and red meat on farm in 15 years’ time because the climate is changing and consumer preferences are changing.

“So we have to think about an ‘and’. Can we have dairy with hemp growing as a rotational crop? Could we have dairy and an indoor shed that’s a vertical growing system for leafy greens?

MORE:

SWEET MEAT: Cultured meat is made using processes NZ is good at, but its main ingredient is sugar, which would have to be imported from overseas, making it less suitable as an emerging protein focus.

Wider role for vet techs as shortage hits

such as anaesthetic inductions, intubations and prepping for surgical procedures in companion animal clinics.

MAPPED OUT: FoodHQ assessed a range of emerging proteins for how well they are suited to New Zealand conditions.

“If we really invest in the development of these emerging proteins as products then we start to imagine what an alternative to a single system might look like.”

VETERINARY technicians are to take on more clinical roles in practices to help address the vet shortage.

Veterinary Council of NZ (VCNZ) chief executive Iain McLachlan said it is up to individual practices what extra roles they give to nurses and technicians, but they will be within their scope of practice.

He said these additional functions will be more obvious in companion animal practices and likely involve the administering of medication and conducting routine tests.

“Very much like human health, where you might see a general practice nurse, seeing a veterinary nurse or technician can safely happen at veterinary clinics.

“Allied Veterinary Professionals [AVPs] have their own set of standards, ethics and guidelines, so are trusted specialists in their fields.”

The VCNZ’s professional adviser, Seton Butler, said AVPs are already responsible for tasks

In production animal clinics “they can also be the first professional called to calvings and, if needed, they can perform epidurals or prepare for a caesarean in advance of the veterinarian arriving in well-run clinics”.

Massey last year increased enrolments in its Bachelor of Veterinary Science course by 30, but it will be five years before they graduate.

McLachlan said before the covid pandemic two-thirds of the approximately 300 vets registered in New Zealand each year came from overseas.

That source dried up over the past two years and while it is slowly recovering, it is not a quick fix to address the vet shortage.

The NZ Veterinary Association had 77 vacancies on its website last week.

McLachlan said the sector is using a three-pronged approach: registering more vets, training more vets and finding new ways of operating, such as using AVPs.