Red-meat programme open to all

The partners in a new plate-to-pasture red-meat programme say it is open to all animal breeds, even though they have financial links to Rissington and Kelso sheep and cattle genetics.

Silver Fern Farms integrated category manager Grant Howie said the $151 million project, which included Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) funding from the Government, linked consumer tastes and requirements for red meat with producers and had nothing to do with the breed of animal.

Project partners Silver Fern Farms (SFF), Landcorp and PGG Wrightson will establish a new independent entity, FarmIQ Systems, to manage the project and Mr Howie said its aim was to create a point of difference for meat products that was linked to what consumers wanted.

Some farmers have expressed concern that SFF's ownership of the logistics and marketing arm of Rissington (it does not own the Rissington Breedline genetics company), PGG Wrightson's ownership of the Kelso genetics company and Landcorp's genetic programme could influence the project.

Mr Howie said that was not the case and he was already working with farmers who owned a variety of animal breeds.

"FarmIQ System is open to having a discussion with any genetic breeding organisation around improving sheep, cattle and deer genetics and making them relevant to consumers," he said.

That point of difference could be meat taste, texture, colour, odour, acidity or some other attribute, but Mr Howie said the key was to scientifically measure and quantify those claims, together with consumer input.

In addition, the collaborating partners would pool their skills and knowledge to develop farm systems and product forms to supply individual markets with the type of product when they wanted it.

He said FarmIQ Systems would partner a group of farmers or breeders who believed their stock had special attributes, similar to the Certified Angus and Hereford Superbly Aged Beef programmes.

Mr Howie said farmers would need to supply scientific proof why their animals were superior, such as evidence of higher meat yields or better taste or texture.

Many breeders already had some of that information from working with Sheep Improvement Ltd, Deer Improvement or using the CT scanner at AgResearch Invermay in their breeding programmes.

If that hurdle was cleared, the group would be invited to work with FarmIQ Systems to get market and consumer feedback on their meat, Mr Howie said.

That feedback would include sensory evaluation panels here and overseas to test those attributes, a process Mr Howie said was used by virtually every food producing company in the world.

They were professionally trained to assess cooked and uncooked attributes, including appearance, colour, taste and texture.

Mr Howie said work in this area accounted for a significant portion of the PGP funding.

If the decision was made to proceed, Mr Howie said the next phase would be to link through the breeders to their sire-buying clients and offer contracts for the supply of prime stock to the specifications, timing and format required by customers.

Mr Howie said traditionally farmers had looked at genetic improvement for on-farm attributes; this was important, but it was not linked to consumers.

"The bit we want to bring to the table is the consumer end."

SFF chief executive Keith Cooper said recently meat had to move with changes in consumer demand.

"More and more of our markets treat red meat like a fast-moving consumer good and demand that New Zealand, on the other side of the world, understands and responds to changes in consumer needs."