China, US appetite for NZ red meat called ‘buoyant’ by CEO.

The Markets is a monthly segment on The Country where a guest takes a closer look at the red meat export markets. Recently, host Jamie Mackay spoke with Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton about strong demand in China and the US, and the Plate to Pasture Farmer Conference coming up in July.

Red meat prospects in the China and US markets are “very buoyant”, says Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton.

Boulton was in Toronto when he caught up with The Country’s Jamie Mackay and had been in China the week before with the Silver Fern Farms board in Shanghai and Xi’an.

“It was great connecting with our customers,” he said.

“There’s an improvement in confidence in the China market, and we’re seeing that reflected in pricing across beef, lamb, and venison.”

Boulton said that, while China wasn’t leading global pricing, it was still “definitely competitive”.

“That’s what we want to see coming out of one of our big markets.”

As for the US, demand for beef was very strong, which was causing a supply issue.

“That’s off the back of reduced beef numbers in the US, but right now in New Zealand, our kill numbers are down as we move into winter,” Boulton said.

While that created some domestic challenges that processors were having to navigate, Boulton says that it also creates the upside of some healthy price tension in the markets.

“That creates some really healthy price tension in the markets as well, which we enjoy.”

Boulton said the 10% tariff from US President Donald Trump hadn’t had much effect.

“We’ve managed to pass most of the tariffs on into markets, so that’s a good outcome,” he said.

“There’s clearly a lack of confidence that’s in the market in North America at the moment, and I guess uncertainty is quite high.

“But again, the demand for red meat, particularly our grass-fed red meat, is really strong.”

Boulton said consumer confidence was waning in mid to low-level casual dining, but fine dining was “absolutely pumping”.

“People are trading down and eating at home, but our retail business up in North America is going extremely well.”

The Lamb Company, a joint in-market venture owned by Silver Fern Farms, Anzco, and Alliance, is another Kiwi success story in America.

Including Australian partners, WAMMCO and Southern Meats, The Lamb Company has been the leading North American supplier of lamb and other premium, naturally raised proteins for over 50 years.

Boulton said it had turned over $1 billion in revenue across the North American market this year, with growth in retail, food service and e-commerce.

This growth meant the company could invest in three state-of-the-art processing facilities.

“We’ve got one in Toronto, we’ve got one in New Jersey, and one in Los Angeles, and they’re distributing to almost every state in the US and Canada, twice a week.”

Boulton said teamwork was a big part of the company’s success.

“We’ve got a team of 50 people representing our lamb out in the market up here, and about another 450 people working across those processing facilities.

“So really, really good collaboration and it’s just gone from strength to strength.”

Back home, Silver Fern Farms is getting ready for its Plate to Pasture Farmer Conference.

The conference is from July 15 to 17 and is held at the Claudelands event centre in Hamilton.

Free to attend and open to all Silver Fern Farms’ suppliers, shareholders and teams, it’s a chance to get off-farm, network, and re-focus for the season ahead.

This year was about celebrating “Creating Goodness Together”, and Boulton was keen for young people to attend.

“We’ve got a particular focus on that next generation to come and understand and connect with other farmers and get some fresh insight around what’s happening in the sector.”

There’s an impressive line-up of industry leaders and expert speakers, and the conference is jam-packed with activities, including a barbecue, national boning competition finals, butchery and cooking classes, and a farm tour.

There’s also the Plate to Pasture Awards to look forward to.

“You talk to people that have been to our conferences previously, and it’s a really, really positive few days,” Boulton said.

He encouraged those interested to register.

“Registrations are open right now, so you can either click on the links and emails, or on our website.

“Spots will fill up fast, but there’s a lot of great content that we’re going to be sharing.”