British High Commissioner Iona Thomas was recently given a tour of Palliser Ridge, with the aim to improve the United Kingdom’s understanding of New Zealand’s red meat industry and farming systems.
Beef and Lamb New Zealand [BLNZ], which organised the visit, said the British High Commission has been an important partner for the local red meat industry because of New Zealand’s historical, current, and future sheep meat trade to Britain.
As the sector awaits a UK-NZ Free Trade Agreement to be implemented, BLNZ said the focus of the relationship between the two countries had shifted from securing market access to understanding how both nations can effectively leverage new opportunities to work together.
“New Zealand farmers are recognised as leaders in sustainable red meat production with high animal welfare standards.
“Our pasture-based production systems are similar to the United Kingdom, so there are plenty of opportunities to work together, as technology or systems develop in one country can be transferred easily to the other,” Beef and Lamb senior trade policy advisor Nicholas Jolly said.
“During the visit, the trade discussions focused on how the United Kingdom and New Zealand’s supply could effectively export to Asian markets all year round, keeping sheep meat on the shelves and meeting consumer demand.”
With the United Kingdom seeking to enter Asian markets through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership [CPTPP] agreement, cooperation will bring value to farmers in both nations by ensuring consumers could access the best in-season products, Jolly said.
Palliser Ridge Farm’s Kurt and Lisa Portas explained how the New Zealand farming system follows the grass growth curve to maximise production while also looking after soil health, water quality, and biodiversity.
“We discussed how New Zealand operates a low-cost farm system and aims to grow sheep and beef as naturally as possible utilising a rotational grazing system,” Jolly said.
“Kurt is passionate about soil health and conservation, and we covered the different uses of trees on farms for different environmental purposes, such as poplar planting for soil conservation and planting natives for biodiversity and water quality.”
