2024 Beef + Lamb NZ Genetics Sheep Breeders Forum

Future challenges and opportunities for this country’s sheep industry came under the spotlight at the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics Sheep Breeders Forum held in Christchurch in July 2024.

Around 140 people attended the two-day forum which included keynote presentations, pick-n-mix workshops and a field trip to Bank Peninsula’s Willesden Farm, the host of two Hill Country
Futures programme.

Key messages:

Sam McIvor, Past CEO, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ)

B+LNZ’s refreshed focus on farm productivity and profitability with planned changes to B+LNZ’s extension programme which would include small groups of farming businesses working together to address specific challenges as well as Focus Farms.

Suzi Keeling, B+LNZ’s Head of Science and Research

Direction for B+LNZ’s research portfolio which included the Cool Sheep programme and other research underway including Eliminating the Impacts of Facial Eczema programme and work on internal parasites.

Jason Archer,B+LNZ Genetics, Head of Genetics

Methane was fast becoming a marketing trait and could potentially be used as a non-tariff trade barrier, with livestock-producing countries around the world measuring methane emissions through different types of measurement chambers and working to reduce their emissions.

Dr. Neville Jopson, AbacusBio, Dr Daniel Brown, University of New England’s Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit and Craig Hickson, Progressive Meats

The topic of measuring meat quality through IMF and connecting to genetic measurements as well as rewarding farmers. Daniel showcased the research on eating quality from the consumer and Neville stressed how inconsistent New Zealand lamb’s eating quality still is and needs to be lifted before any premiums.