18 Jun 2015

Beef+Lamb shelves marketing plan

3:35 pm on 18 June 2015

A joint meat marketing plan has been canned after processing companies sent it to the offal pit.

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Photo: 123rf

The idea was floated by farmer-levy funded body Beef + Lamb New Zealand, which wanted to collaborate with meat companies in a country of origin marketing programme.

It hoped the companies would agree to split the $8 million a year funding the organisation currently puts into meat promotion.

But the Meat Industry Association said after considering the proposal, the companies decided to continue with their own brand promotion programmes, in which they already invest more than $8 million.

The association said there was an expectation that the companies' $8 million spend would increase as new markets were developed.

Beef + Lamb chair James Parsons said it was disappointed with the decision, and its farmer levy payers now needed to decide whether they would to continue funding meat promotion and, if so, at what level.

Farmers would decide on promotional funding when Beef and Lamb New Zealand held a referendum in spring to renew its levies, he said.