Joint approach on sector projects

While confidence and prospects for sheep farmers may be at a low ebb, there are some projects under way in a bid to reverse fortunes.

Most of the main leading companies, Affco excluded, have joined forces in a nationwide ovine processing project to develop more processing automation.

The New Zealand Merino Company is initiating a project to develop a true dual-purpose fine-wool sheep, while Silver Fern Farms, PGG Wrightson and Landcorp have pooled resources to develop a fully integrated supply system for sheepmeat, beef and venison.

An invitation has been extended to other meat companies to join, and at least one unnamed company has expressed a willingness to be involved.

Silver Fern Farms is also working with the robotics division of Scott Technology to develop new meat processing technology utilising the X-ray imaging of carcasses.

Beef and Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association have started work de-veloping a sector strategy which, so far, has industry buy-in.

Alliance Group has tended to do its own thing, and has several projects under way including ongoing work started more than a decade ago, which includes its central progeny test programme to identify sheep genetics which produce desired carcasses.

Other work has developed yield measurement of carcasses, the impact on taste and tenderness of different breeds and feeding regimes along with chain automation.

It is also investigating sheep milking, to help shareholders create a new income stream from sheep.

Pfizer Animal Genetics is about to launch its Sheep50K project, which will commercialise sheep DNA profiling tools developed by Beef and Lamb New Zealand, AgResearch and Ovita.

Southern sheep farmers Murray Rohloff and Peter Ponsonby are looking at on-farm systems and evaluating new breeds to manipulate the supply of animals to fit demand.