So New Zealand farmers; how do you make it pay?

ollie989898 · Jun 19, 2020

Tubbylew said:
It's too expensive, or seen as too expensive (not just in this country ime.) You can spend a fortune on lamb chops and still be hungry after. Food has never been cheaper particularly in the uk, yet people are still relying on food banks and free school meals, it's all gone very badly wrong somewhere.

I don't think the lowest paid people in the UK are paid enough, and I include those on income support in that, too. The truth is, people earning less than probably 20,000 a year should not be charged any tax and people on benefits should be encouraged to work cash in hand up to a set amount.

Kiwi Pete · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
This is the thing, the welfare and quality story of British lamb is a marketing dream, outdoor reared, grass or forage based (not all but many), low carbon, fudge all food miles, reasonable domestic market including Asian/Middle Eastern and vanilla British tastes. How can lamb not sell in the UK?

Of course it is - just at the moment the people doing the sales & marketing are reaping the rewards.
It's literally a ripe fruit, for the picking.

Didn't happen by accident, did it?

"if you want what they have, you gotta be how they are" rings a bell.
Few farmers want to engage with customers, they'd rather just produce stuff and let someone else market it, and that's why they only get a share of the value.
How many times has "but that's what the AHDB is meant to be doing for us, we pay a levy" been offered up? A whole lot.

But, that's the difference between a commodity and a food. Good food sells itself, rubbish needs marketed.

Nowhere does lamb fit in the rubbish category, regardless of when or how you cut the tail off it.

neilo · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
This is the thing, the welfare and quality story of British lamb is a marketing dream, outdoor reared, grass or forage based (not all but many), low carbon, fudge all food miles, reasonable domestic market including Asian/Middle Eastern and vanilla British tastes. How can lamb not sell in the UK?

It does sell in the UK, in huge quantities. The UK produces a lot of lamb, most of which does get sold here. We do however produce more than that, hence the industry's keenness to maintain links with that huge market 22 miles across the channel as well.

ollie989898 · Jun 19, 2020

neilo said:
It does sell in the UK, in huge quantities. The UK produces a lot of lamb, most of which does get sold here. We do however produce more than that, hence the industry's keenness to maintain links with that huge market 22 miles across the channel as well.

How much product worth how much?

lloyd · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
How much product worth how much?

A couple of years ago the EU accounted for over 90% of
sheep meat exports worth close to £400 million.

Llmmm · Jun 19, 2020

GeorgeK said:
If you really want to get their attention you'll need a title such as "Cheap imports are unfair and why we're entitled to subsidies."

atlas said:
When I was in New Zealand a few years ago I drove a lorry for a contracting outfit for a few weeks delivering hay and straw about a few farms. It is very different system no sheds for stock or fodder I was delivering loads of rye grass to the corner of a root field for dairy cows to winter on or dropping a load up on some hillside you would have some old tractor and loader like a DB990 to unload . so there costs are low .

Yes look at how long grass doesnt grow or slows down for in winter about 12 weeks.Always said there winter is like our summer so they have way way lower cost.They dont have to invest in huge slurry stores or animal housing

ollie989898 · Jun 19, 2020

lloyd said:
A couple of years ago the EU accounted for over 90% of
sheep meat exports worth close to £400 million.

Which countries, specifically?

neilo · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
Which countries, specifically?

Does Google not work on your computer?

iirc most will have been going to France, Germany and Belgium, with some light lamb going to Spain, Italy, etc at certain times.

lloyd · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
Which countries, specifically?

France ,Germany increasing numbers ,Belgium quality shapely lambs ,Italy used to take alot of light lamb.

And light lambs Spain as Neilo said

I dont mind Ollie asking I think he might be suffering from Post Traumatic Brexit Disorder.

neilo · Jun 19, 2020

Llmmm said:
Yes look at how long grass doesnt grow or slows down for in winter about 12 weeks.Always said there winter is like our summer so they have way way lower cost.They dont have to invest in huge slurry stores or animal housing

NZ climate varies dramatically from rain forest on the Northern tip to Antarctic blasts on the southern end.
Your broad brush analysis is a bit like saying the UK sees the same weather on the Scilly Isles as it does in the Cairngorms.

ollie989898 · Jun 19, 2020

lloyd said:
France ,Germany increasing numbers ,Belgium quality shapely lambs ,Italy used to take alot of light lamb.

And if they didn't buy it from the UK, who would sell it to them?

lloyd · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
And if they didn't buy it from the UK, who would sell it to them?

Kiwi Pete and Roy.

Bury the Trash · Jun 19, 2020

ollie989898 said:
And if they didn't buy it from the UK, who would sell it to them?

southern hemisphere, Spain Uruguay where ever.

Wouldnt be so good as ours tho...

Llmmm · Jun 19, 2020

neilo said:
NZ climate varies dramatically from rain forest on the Northern tip to Antarctic blasts on the southern end.
Your broad brush analysis is a bit like saying the UK sees the same weather on the Scilly Isles as it does in the Cairngorms.
[/Q
ive worked there most of the produce of nz comes from the good regions with good climate and land taranaki,waikato,southland canterbury very little going on in the mountains just like here we sometimes have a 7 month winter like 2017 2018 this never happens there.

R J · Jun 19, 2020

the EU counties we export lamb too , do they not export a lot more agricultural produce back to us ?!

neilo · Jun 19, 2020

7 month winters never happen in Cornwall, or Pembrokeshire, or Anglesey either.

Bury the Trash · Jun 19, 2020

neilo said:
7 month winters never happen in Cornwall, or Pembrokeshire, or Anglesey either.

unfair advantage .

mind you not so much Beef and sheepmeat as Cauli's and Daffs come out of Cornwall these days cant grow Chinese gooseberries tho ...

kiwi pom · Jun 20, 2020

Llmmm said:
Yes look at how long grass doesnt grow or slows down for in winter about 12 weeks.Always said there winter is like our summer so they have way way lower cost.They dont have to invest in huge slurry stores or animal housing

Generally I'd say the weather is better but each area has its own challenges.
Have you done a Southland winter?
Here in Canterbury the grass doesn't usually get going that early in spring due to soil temps but ground tends to be dry for spring grazing.
Downside is its very dry and most summers you'd have no, or very little grass for 2 or 3 months, so big money has to be spent on irrigation.
Dairy guys are now spending quite a bit of money on effluent/dirty water lagoons too. More and more 'winter milk' farms are putting in cubicle sheds, feed passages and slurry stores. Restrictions and regulations are getting tighter every year, nitrate plans, resource consent for effluent disposal etc.
Every areas different, just as it is in the UK.

Kiwi Pete · Jun 20, 2020

lloyd said:
Kiwi Pete and Roy.

f**k the EU, they can starve for all I care.

Lets see them eat their money.

BELOWAVERAGE · Jun 20, 2020

Courier said:
My wife's uncle in the Waikato used to shoot any ewe which was having trouble lambing, then when things got financially extra tight he saved the bullet and carried a sticking knife with him.

My wife worked as a relief milker out there, had a cow have a bad calving, asked the owner to shoot it, he refused as he wasn't wasting a good cartridge on a cow, are they actually doing that well if they can't justify some animal welfare.

So New Zealand farmers; how do you make it pay?

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0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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