Episode 40 – Are our industry bodies standing on Common Ground?

In PodcastsSeptember 27, 20243 Minutes

Can we find common ground to solve the challenges facing the primary industries? AGMARDT has launched a thought leadership report with KPMG with the proactive title ‘Are industry good bodies good for industry?’ The report identified 150 different organisations from co-operatives to levy-funded and member organisations that drive forward positive outcomes for farmers, but are they working collaboratively together in a way that will take farming into the future?

In this episode we hear from farmer Phil Weir, who wrote his Nuffield report about how industry bodies can collaborate more effectively to tackle challenges in the sector, and Lee-Ann Marsh the General Manager of AGMARDT, about why they funded this report and what the next steps are for better industry collaboration.

Guests include:

Phil Weir, Farmer & Director at Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Lee-Ann Marsh, General Manager, AGMARDT

Hosts:

Rebecca Greaves, Editor, Country-Wide
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Managing Director, CountryWide Media

Waikato Farmer and Director on the board of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Phil Weir, wrote his 2020 Nuffield report on “Restructuring Industry Good for the Future”, which proposed a new industry body to oversee the challenges facing the farming sector. He says this isn’t about getting rid of the individual groups, but finding ways to work across the sector on common issues, for a more impactful outcome.

General Manager of AGMARDT Lee-Ann Marsh discusses why AGMARDT are funding collaborative partnerships that involve groups from across the sector, including the KPMG report, to bring better solutions to industry challenges. This would tackle issues such as duplicate applications for funding towards solving the same issue, rather than collaboration across the industry bodies for a common outcome.