Beef

Over 1.8 million non-replacement calves are produced annually and processed at 4-7 days old in New Zealand. Matt Iremonger’s 2023 Nuffield report looks at the opportunity for beef on dairy to shift the value chain from dysfunctional to functional.

Legacy structures are proving to be a major headache for the meat processing sector and the farmers supplying it with livestock. Words Tony Leggett.

One of the hot topics at the Red Meat Sector Conference this week was the recently enacted EU deforestation regulation, and how this will impact New Zealand meat exporters. Rebecca Greaves talks to farmer and Special Agricultural Trade Envoy for New Zealand, Hamish Marr, and lawyer Sarah Salmond, about this and more - including negotiating the minefield of Non Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and whether we should join forces with the Aussies.
Then hear from McDonald’s New Zealand's Simon Kenny about what they’re doing to get ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability, meeting their climate obligations and goals with their beef suppliers.

It’s bull and sheep buying season, and advancements in the genetics space are continuing to develop, to provide sheep and beef breeders with better New Zealand specific data. But how do farmers make the most of this information?

We talk to genetics specialists, Dr Shannon Clarke from AgResearch, Genetics Specialist and Gemma Jenkins from Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Informing New Zealand Beef programme, about projects running at the moment, what data they already have available, and how farmers can start using it in their systems.

Blood tests from people eating beef from animals fed a functional, diverse pasture mix – sown so the animals can decide what they eat – have higher levels of vitamin E and several other compounds that can be beneficial to human health.

The wellness industry is valued at $1.8 trillion so why aren’t we positioning New Zealand’s red meat’s positive health attributes? From selecting the right sire through to how we market our beef, hear from three experts on what they think we need to do. We talk about livestock genetics sales ahead of bull sale season, meet our new host of BEEF Country and hear the updates in nutrient profiling of meat cuts from an AgResearch scientist.

When market conditions improve, prices should rebound faster for Silver Fern Farms because of its close relationships with customers committed through premium supply programmes. Tony Leggett reports.

China’s consumer confidence has slumped, putting pressure on a market flooded with Australian sheep meat ahead of drought. By Tony Leggett.

Northern Hemisphere Christmas and Chinese New Year celebrations are likely to influence the direction of lamb, mutton and beef pricing, Tony Leggett reports.

Farming beef cattle with the right combination of genetics and raised within a strict regimented feeding plan to the appropriate processing age will result in beef carcases with the coveted intramuscular fat (IMF) demanded by consumers around the world.