Meatworkers and farmers call for a long term plan for the Meat industry but the call falls on deaf ears.
The meatworkers union has been influential in the Meat industry over the years.
But they can now see it's a shrinking industry, and needs a long term plan to stop the exodus.
Until a bigger share of the product's return is paid back to the farmer, no future reinvestment is going to be made.
Too many are clipping the ticket in the value chain and now the "goose's eggs" are getting smaller.
Only an industry approach will solve this problem, where all agree that the breeder of the stock must make a profit, or alternative land options will prevail.
The meat industry needs a long-term plan to ensure good health for the future, says the NZ Meatworkers Union. Roger Middlemass said there had been unexpected lay-offs of meatworkers and salaried staff as the season for stock slaughter and processing had been shorter than expected.
Rangitikei CMP, which processes lamb near Marton, has laid off its night shift and Feilding's Bernard Matthews lamb plant has just put off its night shift. With the closure of the Waipukurau plant, those lambs have been going through to Bernard Matthews' Gisborne plant for boning and processing.
Changes in the past 20 years have affected the industry, Mr Middlemass said. Shrinking sheep and beef profitability, too little return for meat and wool and competition from dairying has meant fewer lambs available for processing. In 1984 there were 39 million lambs. Now, this spring, industry estimates suggest there might only be 21 million lambs. But while the number of lambs has shrunk, average weights of those killed have increased.
There is still overcapacity ... An industry source estimates meat plants' average utilisation is 61 per cent.The problem was the "them and us" attitude of farmers and meat companies, even though two of the big ones were farmer-owned co-operatives, Mr Middlemass said. The industry had been driven by the producers of meat, rather than the customers.
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