The fifth quarter: Demand for blood and gland meat products on the up

Meat Industry Association says blood and glands are a growth opportunity for New Zealand. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

By RNZ

A niche part of the meat industry is seeing strong growth, with demand for blood and gland products on the up.

The industry is very good at getting value out of every part of the animal and uses most parts from the animal that is not meat, such as tallow, bone meal, offal and blood - this is known as the fifth quarter.

Red meat exports have been struggling over the last year due to softer demand from China.

The fifth quarter hasn’t been immune, in 2023/24 it dropped 13% to $1.93 billion, despite this overall drop, fifth-quarter exports still accounted for 19% of total export revenue for the year.

One area that has seen strong growth is blood and gland products, used in vaccines, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Meat Industry Association’s (MIA) annual report said exports during the year, were up 118% to $270 million.

Exports to the UK were up 88% to $22 million, exports to Denmark grew 34% to $18 million and India saw a 53% jump to $7 million.

Meat Industry Association’s chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said the lift from India was about the country’s strategy to become the pharmacy of the world.

“They’ve been very open about building up their pharmaceutical industry and capability and they’re working very hard to source good quality inputs.

“Our animal blood and gland products are valuable because we are disease free so our blood for serums is highly sought after.”

Karapeeva said blood and glands are a great growth opportunity for the meat industry is pushing hard to grow sales.

- RNZ