Sustainability
New Zealand agriculture needs to become more
sustainable to capitalise on the clean, green and
unspoiled image the country has overseas, UK-based
bio-protection expert Sir Charles Godfray warns.
By the middle of the century, there will be
about 10 billion people. Demand for food
will increase both because of the growth
in population and because an increasing
number of people will be richer and demanding
better-quality diets – including more meat and
dairy. But calorie-for-calorie, food from animals
requires more resources to produce than food
from plants, and it will be impossible to satisfy the
demands of 10 billion people if they all had the
diets we enjoy in the rich world. Something would
have to give. Added to that, there are pressures
on food supply: climate change is already leading
to more extreme effects such as droughts and
floods, and there is increasing pressure on water
resources. Given these challenges, there are two
possible futures for the livestock sector. One
sees the demand for meat and dairy going up
unchecked and putting so much pressure on the
environment that it undermines our capacity to
produce food in the future. The other possible
future is that people individually eat less meat and
dairy, but demand premium-quality products: safe
and nutritious, and produced under the highest
environmental and animal welfare standards.
It is natural that talk of eating less meat and
dairy is concerning in a country where so many
livelihoods depend on livestock. My mother
grew up on a dairy farm near Kaikoura so I’m
particularly conscious of this. But ignoring the
challenges ahead risks the future of the industry.
The sophistication of New Zealand’s farmers and
agricultural and environmental researchers, plus
the county’s wonderful green image, puts it in a
much better position to address the future than
most of its competitors. But sustainable diets
and sustainable production must be given much
higher priority.
Sir Charles Godfray is director of the Oxford
Martin School in the UK, a world-leading centre
of research into addressing global challenges.
He recently visited New Zealand to speak at a
Bio-Protection Research Centre symposium on
gene-drive technologies to control insects that
transmit disease.
The global
population is
swelling with a
forecast one billion
extra people to
feed by 2030
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from it being a crisis for red meat, we
see these trends as a tremendous
opportunity and we want to focus on
raising the value of our exports and
on gaining higher premiums. I believe
we have a window of opportunity to
position ourselves globally as leaders
in that naturally raised grass-fed space,
and we must grab it with two hands.
We will be discussing the report’s
findings with our partners over the
coming months to determine what
actions industry needs to take and B
+LNZ’s role in that.
Beef + Lamb NZ’s research
partner Antedote conducted
an in-depth analysis of the
market, interviewing a range of
experts across the value chain
for red meat and alternative
proteins including sociologists,
influencers, chefs, nutritionists
and regulatory bodies.
Secondary desk research and
analysis was also conducted
globally with a focus on Europe,
Asia and North America. Primary
consumer research was also
undertaken in the US and China.
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