NZRSB Update - 7 June 2022
NOTE FROM THE NZRSB CHAIR
It has been a challenging year with a global pandemic sweeping across the world disrupting everything. New Zealand has also had some major climatic challenges affecting farmers across the country from droughts to severe flooding. We are also rapidly moving into a time of new regulations which will require major changes throughout our supply chains.
However, our global red meat markets have been strong and there is increased demand for what we produce which is really encouraging.
The New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (NZRSB) is a collaboration across our beef supply chain being designed around consultation and engagement and with the ambition of building our relationships and our reach. While some projects continued in the background through their base organisations, NZRSB’s momentum has been gradually increasing since March 2022 and our mostly new Board is driving to re-engage and make gains on further developing and defining our goals, objectives and actions.
NZRSB has a vision that NZ Beef will be recognised as the world’s most sustainable beef, continuously improving outcomes that are environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially responsible.
Our mission Is that the NZ beef value chain will strive together to produce the world’s most sustainable beef through strategic, collaborative, co-ordinated and transparent actions.
I have never in my farming career been involved with an organisation that aspires to this level of collaboration across the value chain. We can make a difference.
It is exciting times and I encourage all stakeholders to get involved and help mould the future of our industry.
Regards
Richard Scholefield
About Richard Scholefield
Richard is General Manager of Whangara Farms, comprising 9,500ha north of Gisborne. It was the first farm outside the EU to become a McDonald’s flagship farm. Richard was involved in a beef-cow sustainability programme with McDonald’s, Silver Fern Farms and Beef + Lamb NZ, as well as the Proof of Concept trial from which the Roundtable has developed. As a Maori Incorporation, Whangara Farms is intergenerational so has to be sustainable for future generations and that drives its direction and policies.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF
Over the last few months we have had three new Board Member Representative handovers from ANZCO and FMG in March and from Alpine Pastures in May and hired an Executive Officer. Introducing Mick, Steve, Kate and Louisa.
Mick Taylor - Board Member
Mick Taylor - Board Member
As Fulton Market Group ANZ Sustainability Manager, Mick Taylor is responsible for driving implementation of best management beef sustainability practices around the globe to help progress McDonald’s sustainability goals. Mick is Australian based and his previous roles include national manager of the Australian Landcare Farming Program, national Adoption Manager for Meat and Livestock Australia’s sustainable feedbase program, and the Industry Coordinator for the Grazing Best Management Program. Mick works closely with all McDonald’s System stakeholders including various McDonald’s markets, Grinders, Approved Suppliers, ABSF and other upstream producers to develop sustainability solutions.
Steve Dickie - Board Treasurer
Steve Dickie - Board Treasurer
Steve is Head of Foodservice for ANZCO Foods and Key Account Manager for McDonald’s.
Steve originally trained and worked as a chef in New Zealand, England, Sweden and the USA before moving into FMCG and retail. He also worked in the dairy industry for 18 months before joining ANZCO in 2016.
Kate Griffiths - Board Member
Kate Griffiths - Board Member
Kate is originally from North Wales, where her family farmed sheep, beef cattle and dairy (which is fairly normal over there!), and despite completing a Bachelor of Art History and Conservation, decided to continue with farming, moving to New Zealand 18 years ago. She is the Compliance Manager for Alpine Pastures, overseeing compliance across all the Alpine Pastures farms which are situated in Tarras and Ashburton. She also works on the Mid–Canterbury properties that her partner Hayden McCambridge manages for Alpine Pastures. Together, they run the Canterbury arm of the operation, based in Winchmore, consisting of 400 ha of irrigated land, 200 ha of dry land, an additional 600 ha during the winter months and the recent addition of a Dairy Farm, a new venture for Alpine Pastures.
They finish 100% Grass-Fed Anti-biotic Free Beef and Lamb to supply various specialist programmes with high-quality stock all year round. This year they will also be supplying A2 milk to Synlait, becoming members of the Lead with Pride programme.
Farming sustainably is very important to Kate, taking part in the NZFAP-plus pilot programme last year, with very pleasing results and they are also working with ANZCO, to obtain Toitu carbon zero certification for their lamb racks.
Louisa Icke - Executive Officer
Louisa Icke - Executive Officer
Louisa has a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science - Livestock Production from California Polytechnic University where a keen interest in beef cattle, land management and sustainability began, followed by a move to New Zealand in 2002.
Louisa previously administered the soil conservation land and licences portfolio for the Waikato Regional Council establishing land use rules, legislation and regulations in partnership with Crown agencies, iwi, public and private landowners including ground level engagement with the Council’s grazing licence holders.
In 2021 she completed a series of farm environment planning professional courses at Massey University and hobby farms niche beef breeds with her family on a small block in West Waikato.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Congratulations are in order for NZRSB Board Member, Beef + Lamb NZ, who was elected to the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Board representing the producer constituency for a 2-year term from 2022. You can read more about their relationship here: B+LNZ elected to board of prestigious global sustainable beef organisation | Beef + Lamb New Zealand (beeflambnz.com)
CERTIFIED FRAMEWORK
The Certified Framework working group with the NZRSB is progressing towards the wider goal of ensuring that NZ has the worlds most sustainable beef production systems in the world. New Zealand currently has auditing bodies in place alongside a compliance system that ensures that there is a level of sophistication on farm to comply with international requirements. This has recently been taken to another level with the introduction of NZFAP+, this is a continuous improvement system on farm to ensure that sustainability is at the forefront of everything that a FAP+ farmer does.
The NZRSB has recently published to drive to process 30,000 head in 2022 from farms that are registered to FAP+. This system is world leading with an all-encompassing system to enable NZ farmers to eventually accomplish a climate positive beef industry in NZ. We are working with logistics and processing facilities to align certifications standards that align with international best practice.
WORKING GROUPS ALIGN WITH GRSB
The NZRSB Working Groups are renamed in line with the three Global Beef Sustainability Goals. Land Use is now Nature Positive and GHG is now Climate. The Animal Health & Welfare name remains the same. The Working Group Leads have also taken on a few additional Board Members to support the discussion on specific and measurable goals.
The new arrangement of Board Members and Working Groups are updated in the table below.
BOARD MEMBER DIRECT ENGAGEMENT
Board Member direct engagement starts next week.
The Board will be reaching out to NZRSB Members over the next week or two to re-connect, share ideas and progress the NZRSB objectives. We would love your input and to hear about your sustainability journey.
OUR STRETCH GOALS PROPOSED
The recent focus the last few months has gone into goal setting and direction planning for NZRSB on the local and global scale. We have been looking at our global alignment with GRSB and considering how we contribute to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. While our Working Groups diligently work through available data and its sources to determine our specific and measurable goals to propose for 2023, the Board has reached alignment on the organisational stretch or long-term goals.
NZRSB organisational stretch goals
1. Promote and grow the NZRSB to include all participants in the beef value chain.
2. Evolve and extend the verified sustainable beef certification framework including all contributors to the beef value chain from pasture to plate.
GRSB aligned stretch goals
Nature positive
Whole of New Zealand beef value chain inputs will result in a net positive contribution to nature.
Climate
Reduce the GHG footprint on the pathway to climate neutrality across the beef value chain.
Animal Health & Welfare
Continually striving towards improvements in animal care and quality of life.
If you have any thoughts, suggestions or ideas relating to NZRSB's direction we would love to hear from you at info@nzsustainablebeef.co.nz.
SAVE THE DATES
Save the date for the 2022 New Zealand Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Conference and Annual General Meeting to be held in Christchurch on Tuesday, the 2nd of August 2022. This is timed after the Red Meat Sector Conference being held over 31 July and 1 August.
More information will be released soon.
Also, coming up later this year, is the 2022 Global Conference on Sustainable Beef which is being organised in Denver, Colorado, USA for 7-10 November 2022 by the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. If you are thinking of attending please get in touch at info@sustainablebeef.co.nz