www.foodtechnology.co.nz 7 WILD TURKEY’S NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS SALMON FARMING The opening of two new salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds is a welcome development for New Zealand’s aquaculture industry, Environment Minister and Nelson MP Dr Nick Smith says. “Salmon is a healthy, sustainable and high-value product and we should be proud that New Zealand is the world’s largest producer of farmed king salmon,” he says. “New Zealand King Salmon’s Marlborough Sounds operation supports 440 jobs and $115 million in annual export earnings, and comes from just eight hectares of farms in the 800,000 hectare Sounds. No other primary industry is able to support so many jobs and families from such a small area.” The two new salmon farms in Pelorus Sound, the Waitata Bay farm and the Kopua farm in Richmond Bay, add to King Salmon’s operating farms in Queen Charlotte Sound. They will eventually take the company’s production from 6000 to 10,500 tonnes per year, and boost earnings to more than $170 million. The Government has established the Marlborough Sounds Salmon Working Group and is developing a National Direction for Aquaculture under the Resource Management Act to provide greater certainty for investment in aquaculture while supporting better environmental outcomes and community confidence in the industry. NEWS SNIPS New Zealand agriculture stands to lose $295-728 million annually if the local honeybee population continues to decline, according to Lincoln University Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has welcomed Auckland Council’s removal of sugar-sweetened beverages from vending machines at its leisure sites Kapiti Food Fair – to take place on December 3 at Mazengarb Reserve – has announced Masterchef New Zealand 2015 winner Tim Read as its celebrity chef for the event No evidence of a food safety risk associated with fish oil supplements currently sold in New Zealand has been found by the Ministry for Primary Industries or the Ministry of Health Cheddar cheese prices are at an eight-year low, with the average price of a kilo at $7.68, down from $9.12 in June last year and the lowest price since September 2007. N E W S Fonterra says the Government’s goal of a predator-free New Zealand by 2050 is a hugely significant plan and one that the dairy industry shares. Fonterra’s director of social responsibility Carolyn Mortland says a country without predators will have significant benefits for the environment, and the cost of TB and other diseases carried by possums and rats shouldered by farmers as well as dairy companies wanting to protect production facilities will decrease. New Zealand dairy companies are working together on the issue, and have made a $3 million commitment over two years for investment in the Zero Invasive Predators research project to remove rats, stoats and possums from large areas of the mainland. Funding includes an innovative predator enclosure at Lincoln University that allows trials of new technology to more rapidly take pest control concepts through to real world solutions. New Zealand’s largest farmer, the State-owned Landcorp, will ban palm kernel expeller from its farms by the end of this financial year. Chief executive Steven Carden says all Landcorp farms will transition to alternative feed supplements by June 2017. “One of the real points of difference for New Zealand farming is our ability to grow grass and produce grass-fed animals. There is a growing interest in this food globally,” Carden says. “Landcorp wants our partners and customers to know they can trust that we farm sustainably and care for the environment. We need to anticipate shifting consumer expectations on how their food is produced and change how we farm accordingly. Our shift to remove PKE from our farms is expected to be virtually cost-neutral – and we think there are significant longer term gains in terms of our ability to attract new premium customers.” An innovative New Zealand packaging company has developed an alternative environmentally friendly solution to traditional oil-based takeaway coffee cups, which are not able to be recycled and have no end-of-life option other than ending up in landfill. North Shore-based Ecoware has worked for the past decade on solutions to the problem of coffee cups being consigned to landfill, and has produced a cup derived from naturally-occurring plant sugar that actively encourages the composting of coffee cups. Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey has signed on as bourbon maker Wild Turkey’s new creative director in a multi-year partnership. The Academy Award winner will serve as the chief storyteller for the brand both behind and in front of the camera, starting with a series of television and digital advertising campaigns which he will direct. “Wild Turkey has the history and qualities of a brand that depicts the dedication of someone to do something their own way – even if that way isn’t always the most popular,” McConaughey says. “I want to help share their unique story." Those keen to see the heart throb in action can view his short film which chronicles a visit to the Mississippi distillery on the company’s YouTube channel.
FT AUG 16
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