The world wants chilled lamb meat but the challenge was to get it to the right markets at the right time, Alliance Group livestock manager Murray Behrent told farmers at a field day last week. While frozen lamb still accounted for 60 to 70 per cent of exports, the aim was to convert that to chilled to maximise returns, he said. “Lamb is a premium product and we want to sell to the millionaires of the world.”

Shelf life had been extended from nine weeks to 11, which meant the meat was on retail shelves for longer, offering more sale opportunities reports The Southland Times. Speaking at M&WNZ’s new Meat the Future field day last week, Mr Behrent said the co-operative knew farmers wanted $100 for a lamb now and were unhappy with returns lower than last year. But if the NZ dollar was the same as last year, farmers would be getting between $112 and $115, because of record prices being achieved in British retail markets.

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In a press release Silver Fern farms announced they are to drive growth of lamb in NZ supermarkets with a  innovative range of cuts. NZ’s top quality lamb cuts that would normally be found in premium restaurants and European supermarkets will be available to local consumers ahead of Christmas as Silver Fern Farms shifts its focus into local supermarkets..

 As part of its strategy to capture value across the entire red meat value chain, Silver Fern Farms is forging a stronger domestic footprint with four key lamb products – boneless leg roast, loin fillets, rumps and stir fry – which will shortly be available in NZ supermarkets. It’s a major directional shift for the country’s leading procurer, processor and marketer which traditionally exports 95% of its product into more than 60 countries.

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