New Zealand Creates More Opportunities in the Meat Supply Chain

A New Zealand-based company saw opportunities in the meat supply chain from Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Tanzania. In cooperation with local farmers, tribes, governments, and processors they have managed to get production on track. After a 7-year drought, foot-and-mouth disease (in South Africa only), and inadequate management, the export of beef from these countries nearly came close to a halt. After two years of hard work, they managed to build stock numbers, improve productivity and get the necessary protocols, certification, and registration, providing more growth opportunities in this sector from these countries.

The quality of the meat competes with NZ meat's top performer, namely the P2 steer. P2 means the following: P = fatness, a light to medium fat cover, 3–10 mm deep; 2 = muscling class 2, good muscle development; 300kg = steer carcass weight. The carcasses in these countries are a bit more lightweight at around 235kg per carcass due to their younger slaughtering ages, meaning the meat is more tender than its NZ counterparts. The prices for whole carcasses, cut in all the normal cuts and packed in 20kg boxes, are very competitive and work out to around USD 2000/Mt cheaper than its NZ competitors. These provide opportunities for more affordable imported top-quality meat in New Zealand.