Bitter end for Meat Industry Excellence

MIE was formed in 2013 to push for reform in the red meat industry.

Meat Industry Excellence has gone into recess with chairman Dave McGaveston signing off in vitriolic fashion.

In a statement, the Tapawera farmer said the decision was due to "patch protection, farmer apathy and the rural media campaign against MIE".

MIE was formed in 2013 to push for reform in the red meat industry and it received nearly $300,000 funding from Beef and Lamb New Zealand.

There had been a spate of resignations from its executive, particularly after Silver Fern Farms shareholders voted in favour of a joint venture with Chinese-owned Shanghai Maling.

MIE commissioned a report entitled Pathways to Long-Term Sustainability which provided independent analysis of the industry and was launched last year.

That report showed more than $1billion dollars in savings could be realised from a rationalisation process that included the four largest companies: Silver Fern Farms, Alliance Group, ANZCO and AFFCO.

In 2014, farmers backed a remit from MIE seeking Beef and Lamb New Zealand cash to back its quest for industry reform.

But earlier this year, they rejected two remits put forward by MIE which were seeking to replace the two processor representative positions on the board of Beef and Lamb New Zealand with its own directors.

It also wanted Beef and Lamb New Zealand to endorse and fund all costs incurred by it to "continue developing and implementing the savings and positive opportunities" identified in its report.

This week, Mr McGaveston said it had been disheartening that co-operative directors, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, Federated Farmers, the Government and organisations farmers trusted to show leadership and direction had fought to stifle all MIE's efforts to create a bright future for New Zealand meat farmers.

Farmers invested in the Pathways to Long Term Sustainability Report and should have expected to have their investment enhanced by embracing the opportunities identified.

"Sadly the anti-reform campaign prevailed, not just within farmers' very own elected organisation, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, but across the underbelly of vested interest groups that dominate the sector," he said.

A large percentage of MIE-endorsed directors "reneged on all their core values and pre-election promises" and "did a total backflip" betraying the people that put them there, he said.

Removing the "competitive destructive model" in market would provide long-term benefits to to all farmers, while passing control of New Zealand's processing/exporting sector to foreign interests would be an "unmitigated disaster" for red meat farmers.