Murray Jagger, pictured with his wife Helen on their Whangarei Heads farm, is running for the Beef and Lamb New Zealand
Northland Age
Whangarei Heads beef and dairy farmer Murray Jagger, one of three who are seeking election as a Beef and Lamb NZ director, sees plenty of work that needs to be done to correct some worrying trends. And that included dairy farmers.
A decline in farmer confidence in how their levies were being spent and fluctuating beef and lamb profitability were sure signs that further governance diversity was needed within the red meat sector, he said.
Mr Jagger was concerned that about half of farmers who pay a levy to Beef and Lamb NZ were not satisfied with their investment. According to the most recent (2016-16) Beef and Lamb NZ annual report, farmer confidence in the future of beef and sheep had fallen by 26 per cent, to about 30 per cent, in the previous 12 months.
«Sheep and beef farm profitability decreased by 20 per cent in that last financial year,» he said. «Those figures concern me. Despite stronger market prices for sheep meat and beef over the last year, we must continue to leverage the collective value from our meat levy through industry-good activities and to deliver a more profitable red meat sector and more resilient and prosperous communities.