Past, Present and Future of the Meat Industry

Introduction

I gave a presentation recently to a Beef + Lamb Field Day about the meat industry. I briefly reviewed the history of the industry, the impact of certain key events and the influence of politics leading up to the 1985 election. I then gave an appraisal of the present covering the last 30 years, post subsidies, when the sector had to modernise fast; and lastly I took a punt on predicting what might happen in the foreseeable future and how farmers and meat companies might have to adapt to survive and flourish.

 

For the purpose of presenting these thoughts to interested readers I have divided the presentation into three parts which will be published separately. The first part is a review of the first 100 years and how this period determined the structure of the industry.

No chance government will legislate to restrict meat capacity

After the announcement last week of Alliance Group’s intention to close sheepmeat processing at its Mataura plant, union representative Gary Davis called for the government to intervene. This was no doubt caused more by frustration over the loss of jobs than any realistic expectation that the government would interfere in a commercial situation.

AFFCO’s union dispute finally settled

It’s been a long 10 weeks, both for the company and especially the workforce. At last both sides have exercised some flexibility and reached agreement on a new Core Collective Agreement.

Wasted trip to Nelson

If ever there was a wasted journey, it’s the one AFFCO meat workers have made to Nelson with the sole objective of asking the Talleys to listen to their tales of woe arising from the lock out and regular strikes which have seen several hundred workers out of work for nearly two months.

AFFCO and Meat Workers Union both holding firm

Getting on for two months into the lock out interspersed with strikes, both sides in this struggle are holding firm. There was a brief moment of hope of some degree of resolution at last week’s mediation, but it appears that after some progress in the morning, it all went downhill in the afternoon with some suggestion the union representatives weren’t all in agreement about what they were after.

AFFCO able to operate despite lock out

Interested observers of the argument between AFFCO and its unionised meat workers may be confused by a state of affairs which results in a portion of the workforce being locked out, another percentage going on strike in support of their colleagues, and the rest of the workforce being able to keep production going.