Meat & Wool dumps staff, cans projects

Meat & Wool NZ will dump about a third of its head office staff in Wellington following massive budget cuts. Yesterday the organisation, which has around 30 staff, announced it slashed $6.3 million in its yearr-on-year budget ending a number of projects and minimizing others reports The NBR. The adjustment was required because of the loss of the wool levy and has been carried out in conjunction with the M&WNZ organisational restructure announced last week. Reducing funding for others include Sheep Improvement, down $155,000 and Californian thistle research with nearly $100,000 slashed. Mr Petersen said there had were significant budget cuts made to the market development activity with $1 million coming out of the Europe programme and $350,000 removed from activity for sheepmeat and beef in other markets. The skills and education programme Outstanding in the Field would be reviewed. This project has a budget of $264,000. Mr Petersen said M&WNZ's contribution, from NZ Meat Board funds, to the Johne's Disease Research Consortia would reduce by $250,000. Research and Development projects to stop include clover root weevil ($100,000), the development of alternative methods of parasite control ( ($270,000), survival and performance of multiple lambs ($183,000), forage brassica development ($32,000), facial eczema monitoring ($22,000) and grazing cattle ($15,000). In August, sheep farmers denied the support for the organisation to continue to collect and spend a wool levy. As a result, Meat & Wool was required to restructure its activities and come up with a new plan based on a reduced income and responsibility.