Farmers want urgent change in meat industry

Farmers want urgent change in meat industry

25 July 2007

If the lively meeting at Tokanui Tavern, in southern Southland, was anything to go by then there is huge farmer support for change within the meat industry.

More than 170 farmers crammed their way into the local pub on Tuesday night to hear the Meat Industry Action Group’s ideas for change, their views on marketing and their vision for the future.

The group, which has been very vocal since its formation in April, had said it wanted to hear farmer’s views on the industry. It was certainly not disappointed at the Tokanui meeting!

Farmers were more than keen to share their ideas, their thoughts, and of course many also vented their anger and frustration at the deterioration in lamb prices and the meat companies which most believed to be to blame.

MIAG spokesman Martin Hall of Kapuka, said it was great that so many farmers had turned out to support change within the industry, but he said the group also wanted to urge farmers to attend their co-operative’s shareholder meetings – some of which are on this week.

Mr Hall, said it was important that farmers turned out to hear their company’s thoughts on the future of lamb and sheep farming. But it was even more important that farmers offered some thoughts, or questions, of their own.

“The days of farmer apathy are long past.
“Farmers who are sick of $50 lambs and special deals have got to get in their trucks, and get to the shareholder meetings.

“And, once they get there, there’s no point sitting quietly and being preached to. The only way we will improve the industry and improve the price to farmers is by demanding it.’

Mr Hall said that farmers had been guilty of sitting back and watching the industry deteriorate.
“We believed that the companies were looking after our interests and doing the best job possible. That was obviously not the case.
“It’s now time that we took back control of our industry and that we, as farmer-shareholders, got our message across to our meat companies.

“Most of us now realize that the future of the industry is in our hands. We must demand change and we must do it now.”

The next Alliance Group roadshows are today, Thursday, at 2pm at the Wyndham Rugby Club and on Friday at Otautau Rugby Club at 2pm. Meetings are also planned for Winton, Mossburn, Nelson, Christchurch, Pleasant Point and Oamaru next week.

PPCS’ only Southland meeting is at Winton on Monday, August 6.

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