BULLETIN ISSUE 26: Summer 2019
GREENLEA TO LAUNCH ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES By Tony Egan
Gen Y is on the attack with twenty-five-year-old Chloe Swarbrick hurling ‘OK Boomer’ across Parliament and sixteen year old Greta Thunberg hurling ‘How dare you’ at the United Nations … apparently we are not ‘mature enough to tell it like it is’. Making matters worse, I was recently embroiled in an argument about the rights of crustaceans … turns out these are not the same thing as pale stale males after-all, but they do need healthy rivers to be happy. Having spent the past year on the Primary Sector Council I have learned a lot about alternative views of the world … some think mine aren’t radical enough. I’m a boomer with a black hat in a room full of chatter who accepts some change is inevitable. Fortunately, farmers can smell bullshit from a mile away. They see the rules changing and most know what needs to be done.
Greenlea is keen to play its part and has implemented a practical scheme to assist those at the coal face. Greenlea is launching an initiative to provide advice to our farmers, where needed, for farm environment plans and free natives to assist with offsets. We have made a conscious choice to talk less and do more. Region by region, our buying team are up to speed and ready to offer this support. We know that what’s good for farmers is ultimately good for us as processors. Last week’s launch of the NZ chapter of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef connected NZ to 23 other countries on a similar path. Three NZ processors SFF, ANZCO and Greenlea, have agreed to support this initiative as it provides a forum for reasoned debate and sensible change. We have all put money in to support pragmatic solutions. I believe these initiatives show that baby boomers are indeed ok and that we are in fact mature enough to tell it like it is … after all, it’s our world too!
It’s Arrived - Just In Time For Christmas!!
GREENLEA BUTCHER SHOP SUPPLIER STORE
As we hinted in our previous newsletter, we are proud to announce the launch of the Greenlea Butcher Shop online store portal exclusively for our loyal farmer suppliers. The Butcher Shop farmer portal has special meat prices and deals only accessible to our valued clients. To access these specials, simply log into your Greenlea livestock supplier portal page as you always have (same email address and password). Click on the “Shop” button. This button will take you directly to the farmer only page of the Greenlea Butcher Shop website. If you are not already using the supplier portal, simply contact our livestock department (0508 GREENLEA), and they will set up an account for you.
www.greenlea.co.nz
Cut off for Christmas orders December 18
Additionally, you can convert livestock sales into a store credit on the online store. We can also arrange for farmers who have store credit with Hamilton Wholesale Meats to switch their credit to the Greenlea Butcher Shop. Contact butchershop@greenlea.co.nz for help with any of these options. Please be aware that due to the perishable nature of our product, we cannot deliver to all addresses. We do have numerous delivery options for those at rural delivery addresses that are difficult to reach overnight. Contact butchershop@greenlea.co.nz to discuss delivery options for your particular situation.
MUDGEY’S COLUMN Mudgey is sitting on the deck at his little seaside bach putting pen to paper and thinking life isn’t really that bad now is it? Went North a couple of weeks ago and celebrated 25+ years with the Sloane livestock team. It’s a strong family business with a similar story to Greenlea – both mixed it up amongst the big boys and have gone from strength to strength, weathering through the tough times with grit and determination. Honesty and sound service has paid off for both teams. Now with summer upon us and a bit more time on the deck programmed for the near future, it got me thinking. Yes, we have a few challenges ahead of us - global warming, healthy waterways, reduced livestock numbers, more data and documentation about animal health and farming systems. I paused, went for another cold one, looked out at the tide turning and coming back in and thought to myself … most of the above mentioned we are doing anyway, we just need to write a plan to document it. That pile of posts by the tractor shed and wire in the shed will fence that wet area, I now know what the kids are helping with when they’re all home for Christmas!! Now my glass is half full and that’s not surprising really, prime and bull levels are north of $6 and heavy cows at $5+. Old ewes and lambs are also at record levels, one of the largest and survival rate lamb crops on the coast for many years. Yep, a bit of extra paperwork required, but with extra pricing levels to be received, you don’t mind doing that. But let’s not forget, what goes up must one day come down. Take the margin and bank it, move onto the next trade – nobody went broke taking a margin. Well, as the curtain comes down on another calendar year, a big thank you to all our farmer suppliers, staff and families. Enjoy the break, it’s going to be a decent one this year, and don’t forget a carrot and a beer under the tree on Christmas Eve! Travel safe and enjoy the festive season.
MARKET SUMMARY: THE YEAR IN REVIEW The story for 2019 has been all about China. Even before African Swine Fever began to devastate the Chinese (and other Asian countries) pork industry, demand for beef was already building like an uncontrollable force of nature. The seasonal drop in New Zealand Beef production through the winter months only exacerbated the situation resulting in price surges that have not been seen in many years. China became New Zealand’s largest beef market in August for the first time and looks set to remain in that position for the foreseeable future. In the United States the shock of no longer being the dominant market for NZ beef took some time to sink in along with the fact that they now had to compete to secure lean grinding beef. It now seems that they are being spurred into action and the market is adjusting to the new reality of imported beef being priced at a significant premium to US domestic product. This competitive tension bodes well for the industry in 2020 and while prices may ease as production increases and Chinese New Year passes by we should still be able to hold at historically high levels.
www.greenlea.co.nz
PART 2 IN A SERIES
IS MEAT OBSOLETE?
In our last issue we introduced this topic, and we noted that there are 3 key areas where meat production is getting a hammering both at home and overseas. These are, broadly, animal welfare, environment (including climate change) and nutrition. In this second article of the series we take a closer look at the animal welfare side of the argument. Eating meat requires an ethical acceptance that an animal must die to obtain the product. For some, this choice goes against their personal moral compass, and they make the choice to become some form of vegetarian or a vegan. This article is not about trying to convince those who have made that choice to change their mind. This article is to highlight the perceptions of livestock farming (often misconceptions) that could undermine our industry, and how we can use education of consumers to our advantage. In many parts of the world, animal farming has become ‘industrialised’ to decrease costs and increase profit margins. This industrialisation has created its own set of problems … not just animal welfare issues due to overcrowding and loss of an animal’s ability to display natural behaviours, but it has also contributed to food safety issues and antimicrobial resistance. There has been highly publicised media coverage of animal abuse, cruelty, poor living conditions and questionable environments. Many consumers assume that what they see
is a typical example of all livestock farming. To date, New Zealand has done a poor job internationally in promoting our points of difference … grass fed, pasture-raised … animals free to roam and graze in a natural setting. With very few exceptions New Zealand does not operate feedlots or what is known internationally as a CAFO (concentrated or confined animal feeding operation). The other area of welfare that causes public concern are animal husbandry practices. Disbudding, de-horning, castration and tail docking are all common practices that are concerning to many customers. As perception of animals has changed from “beasts of burden” to “sentient beings”, so too, has the public’s comfort level with any practice that is seen as causing “unnecessary pain and suffering”. What was acceptable even 20 years ago, is now being scrutinised. The public will not tolerate any perception of “cruelty” or procedures that cause pain without adequate and appropriate pain relief. We must continually question why we do something … is it actually necessary? Is there a better way? Doing something just because “it’s always been done that way” is no longer adequate justification.
NEW ZEALAND ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF LAUNCHED The New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, part of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), was officially launched by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor at an event in Christchurch on November 13. The Roundtable is committed to ensuring the beef sector is economically viable, socially responsible, and environmentally sound. Founding participants include: ANZCO, B+LNZ Ltd, Greenlea Premier Meats, Fonterra, McDonald’s, Silver Fern Farms, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and farmer food producers. The New Zealand Roundtable will work with other countries on a range of programmes and initiatives to encourage and promote sustainable beef production methods. Tony Egan, Greenlea’s managing director, was one of the keynote speakers at the launch event. He made the following points in his address: “The launch of this New Zealand Roundtable demonstrates our commitment to improving the sustainability of beef production by prioritising the planet, people and animals.” “The collaborative nature of the New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is central to pulling activity together on behalf of the industry, listening better to our community voices and their views on our beef production and sharing
knowledge.” “This Roundtable will provide New Zealand with an opportunity to help shape the global dialogue on beef sustainability and contribute to the long-term viability of the beef industry.” “New Zealand has a proud history of pastoral farming built around extensive low impact grassland grazing systems for cattle.” More information on the New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef can be found here at www.nzsustainablebeef.co.nz
www.flightforlife.co.nz
Keep your local rescue helicopter moo-ving these holidays
DONATE A BEAST TO
SAVE LIVES
Greenlea Flight for Life is open to anyone with cattle that requires processing. 1. You choose how much you want to donate - 1/2 a beast, one beast, two beasts or a set dollar value 2. Inform your Greenlea Sales Agent 3. Greenlea will process your dairy or beef cattle and arrange for 100% of your donation to be forwarded to the local Rescue Helicopter
½X
1X
2X
Half a donated beast could help fund the purchase of any one of the following:
One donated beast could help fund the purchase of any one of the following:
Two or more donated beasts could help fund the purchase of any one of the following:
ipads for navigation
Winch harness
Pilot and crew helmets
jackets
Flight vests for crew
Winch cable
VENTILATOR
strker stretcher
To donate a beast to the Rescue Helicopter that flies over your farm, visit www.greenlea.co.nz/about/greenlea-rescue-helicopter or contact your Greenlea Sales Agent on 0508 GREENLEA
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter is dedicated to serving the central North Island community 24/7, 365 days of the year. Thank you to Greenlea Premier Meats and their farmers for continuing to support the lifesaving service of the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter. You’re helping us touch the lives of many people.
Discover more and donate today | 0800 11 10 10 | info@rescue.org.nz rescue.org.nz | @rescuehelicoptersNZ | @rescuehelicoptersNZ