‘Fresh approach’ answer to meat fall-off

Press, 16 August 1988, Page 6

‘Fresh approach’ answer to meat fall-off

By

SARONA lOSEFA

A fresh approach to stock farming was needed to rescue the falling sale of red meat, not promotional retargeting, said a director of the Alternative Medicine Centre, Mr Bruce Robertson. Mr Robertson was replying to Professor David Buisson, from Otago University, who spoke at a recent meeting of the meat and wool section of Federated Farmers. Professor Buisson said that changing lifestyles in New Zealand dictated a new direction for red meats by targeting a younger age group.

Those with the greatest disposable income were in the 35 to 54 year age group, but they were most concerned with health and nutrition. Greater efforts were needed to educate the buyer on the selection, ,storage and cooking of meats, he said. According to Mr Robertson, it is not just retargeting that should be considered, but an entirely new approach to farming. “People are not all that worried about eating red meat and cholesterol. They are more concerned about the chemical contents involved,” he said.

“Rather than encouraging growth in the land, many farmers spread fertiliser to get as much as they can out of the land.

“As a result the land is robbed of nutrients,” Mr Robertson said.

He said that about 40 New Zealand farms had adopted organic farming methods using natural methods of replenishing the land with rock minerals and compost. “It is time ' farmers asked themselves whether chemicals are really helping them reap quality long-term, or more for the dollar short-term,” Mr Robertson said.