Next steps are a funding strategy, and appointing a 'tight five' leadership team

Content supplied by Federated Farmers

A week after meetings in Te Kuiti and Gisborne, Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) has secured a farmer mandate to pursue a value and growing meat industry.

“Having concluded a series of meetings from Gore to Gisborne, MIE now has the confidence to push forward with red meat industry reform,” says Richard Young, Meat Industry Excellence chairman.

“Farmers realise there must be change in our industry if we are to arrest the loss of farms and farmers to other land uses, like dairying and these days, forestry. The only way you achieve this is to make red meat an attractive commercial proposition."

“That is why all industry stakeholders need to be part of the positive change our industry is desperately crying out for. Something MIE is here to champion."

“MIE will now work on creating a national executive and we are close to announcing a funding strategy to deliver what needs to be done. MIE has further shortlisted people, we believe, could join MIE as an independent chairman."

“It is important that we have people with the very best management and governance skills to help drive industry reform. We are calling this the meat industry’s ‘tight-five’."

“While there is a degree of understandable scepticism from some quarters, the tight-five will help sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to industry options. Other options will come to light when we get stuck into the process and could include our aspirational 80 percent model."

“MIE’s role was to get farmers thinking about our industry because the status quo has no future. MIE firmly believes farmers will have to do what we’ve always done when we find something is broken; that is to roll up our sleeves and fix it."

“Regardless of whether the big four meat companies are successful in bringing together a short term solution, we need commitment to change before the new season gets under way,” Mr Young concluded.