Meat Industry Taskforce

Media Release
27 June 2008

Meat Industry Taskforce

The announcement on the process for a meat industry sector strategy to be completed was released on 13 June 2008.

In commissioning the strategy completion, the Taskforce was seeking to focus on the strategic issues around the long term marketing of product internationally, supplier dynamics and processing issues. The translation of the strategy would look to provide more certainty and value to the processing industry and its farmer suppliers and stakeholders.

The Taskforce was also appreciative of the offer of advice and support from key Government agencies to assist in this process.

The appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers to undertake this project crystallized the position of some industry participants. Correspondingly when PricewaterhouseCoopers requested informed consent from the number of parties, not all parties provided that consent due to their historical and current involvement with industry participants. As PricewaterhouseCoopers required that consent to undertake the assignment they have reluctantly withdrawn from the process.

In exploring the position with some industry participants it became evident:-

• That any major consulting firm able to complete this strategy assignment would have to have had extensive industry experience. As such informed consent would be required, and currently would be unlikely to be given by all industry participants.

• Over the past week further clarification of some of the industry’s participants was obtained. In particular one participant advised that they did not support an industry strategy, rather they wished to follow their own individual strategy, which is an individual company’s right.

Correspondingly the Taskforce role has ceased.

However in the work to date it has been identified that there is a need for farmer suppliers and stakeholders to be informed about the industry facts and issues around the end to end process from farmer suppliers through to product markets.

To this end Meat and Wool New Zealand will be using their upcoming consultation round of farmer meetings to prepare a strategy paper which can form the basis for discussion and consultation with farmer suppliers and stakeholders.

ENDS

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