A study to assess both the cost and sustainability of potential marketing advantages (UK and overseas) of beef and lamb produced from high welfare systems.

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Massey University and looking forward to a farm visit




Thursday 5th November. Massey University in Palmerston North and the Manawatu Campus is home to the only Vet School in New Zealand. I was in Massey to meet with Associate Professor Craig Johnson who is a world recognised authority on animal welfare issues and the title of his opening presentation was ‘Mechanisms of conscious awareness and pain perception in neonates’ In lay terms, Craig has done an incredible amount of work in determining when animals have a conscious perception of suffering around the time of birth, and the effects of stunning at slaughter in relation to pain and suffering. A detailed presentation of a complex issue with clear conclusions. Further presentations followed from a series of PhD students, on research projects connected to castration and tailing, stress levels in sheep and how the early exposure of an animal to a painful procedure can cause hyper sensitivity to further treatments in later life.

I had heard hat New Zealand punched above its weight in animal research, and I was shown evidence to this effect. Every agricultural industry needs this continuous development work going on in the background, to ensure a sustainable and profitable future. What also became evident was the collaboration that existed between New Zealand research establishments and ours in the UK. The visit was finished off with a tour of the research facility, including the impressive deer and equine centres.

It was time for our host for the last two days, Virginia Williams to leave us until we would get together again in Wellington on the 9th and we dropped her off at Palmerston North Airport. Virginia had been a wonderful host, guide and corrector of pronunciation of place names!

Next stop, Mangamahu in Wanganui, an hour drive north from Palmerston North. We were to be the guests of Alistair Polson and his wife Bo on their beef and sheep farm. What did I know about Alistair? He had sent me an e mail a few weeks earlier with a fair amount of detail and I was viewing this visit as one of the high points of my study tour.

Briefing provided; Alistair is a sheep and beef farmer married to Bo with three children at university. He has had a career in farmer representation including a term as the national president of Federated Farmers of NZ 1999-2001. He also served two terms on NAWAC the equivalent FAWC in the UK and the NZ Veterinary Council. In addition he has also been involved in Meat Company governance as a director of Waitotara Meat Company and also Silver Fern Farms. His farming operation consists of two sheep and beef farms with a 4ha Kiwifruit block.

The larger of the two blocks Manawaimai is 1400ha and carries 8000 ewes, 3600 hogget replacements and 350 Angus cows. This farm is almost entirely hill country and only a few older cows and a small number of surplus breeding ewes go directly to slaughter while the reminder are moved down the valley to Manurewa for finishing before slaughter.

The home block at Manurewa where Alistair and Bo have their home consists of 500ha, 250ha of which is flat ground and also home to the Kiwifruit operation. The farm winters 3750 ewes, 300 heifers and steers and over the course of the year would finish at least 10000 lambs at an average carcass weight of 18kg. In order to ensure timely lamb finishing, 40ha of fodder crops are cultivated over the summer for lamb grazing, and sheep meat sales are 80% of the farm’s income.

The two farms are fully integrated, with the older ewes being supplied to Manurewa and all replacements are bred at Manawaimai. The Rissington breedline has been used for a number of years and all Highlander ewes are mated to a Primera terminal sire. Alistair conveyed in his briefing e mail that he hoped to produce 16000 lambs this year. Last year he supplied approx 4000 Primera lambs to the M&S contract. He manages all this with himself, and one other member of staff at the home farm and two other members of staff at the hill farm!!! A Kiwi fruit manager looks after that specialist enterprise with casual labour employed docking, weaning etc.

I was also aware that Alistair was a Nuffield Scholar and would provide valuable input into my final scholarship report.

1 comment:

  1. Youve gone a bit quiet since the rugby result ... I assume nobody there has mentioned it to you?

    ReplyDelete