ANZCO Foods CEO update - November 2022

There’s been a lot said in the media since the Government released its proposal on agricultural emissions pricing last month.

It can sometimes be hard to know who to listen to, so I really encourage you to take the time to understand what’s being proposed and to provide feedback on it. This is our best chance of having an outcome that is fair and equitable to the sector.

The Government has signalled it is interested in feedback and working with industry, so it’s important the sector takes the time to submit on it.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s website has a lot of information about the proposal and documents to help you make a submission.

The Government’s proposal supports many of the He Waka Eke Noa partnership’s recommendations including introducing a farm-level levy with separate prices for short and long-lived gases. The document proposes alternative approaches in some areas, including how sequestration is recognised. This table outlines all the He Waka Eke Noa recommendations along with the Government’s proposals so you can easily see where there are differences. This information will be useful in helping you have your say on the proposal.

The more voices we have providing similar feedback the better. The wider red meat sector is submitting on the Government’s proposal and ANZCO Foods will also submit separately.

You can make a submission by visiting the Ministry for the Environment’s website.

Submissions close on 18 November 2022.

Another topic we are starting to see in the media at the moment is livestock pricing, so I’d like to give some context to ANZCO Foods view on what’s occurring.

As you’ll see in Rick’s market update the global markets aren’t as positive as they have been, and we are seeing livestock prices starting to trend down as we enter the main production season. Our livestock team will manage this as prudently as possible.

Challenges at plants with regard to labour also continue to be a factor for our business, and we believe that this is still an issue for all New Zealand processors as well as being a global issue for many industries. This will limit our capability to process livestock as aggressively as some may like us to.

Constraints with shipping schedules and container availability remain and our logistics team is working hard to manage this so that the rest of our business can continue to service you to the best of our ability.

Peter Conley
ANZCO Foods Chief Executive