Following the policies that have led the beef industry into its current situation and expecting a different outcome is insanity, a recent beef industry seminar has been told. "˜We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them,' Farmpure director Tim Wilding told a recent Beef Profit Partnership seminar in Whangarei in the Rural News. He says the industry needs to make fundamental changes in the way it operates for farmers to be able to return a reasonable profit. Farmpure is contracted to supply premium Angus cattle products to Progressive Enterprises, owner of Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown supermarkets. Wilding says the beef industry needs to align itself closer to the retail sector if it is to move forward. He cites the relationship his company has developed with Progressive, a programme which has shortened the supply chain and eliminated the cost of primary packaging. The partnership has been running for four years and supplies 126 supermarkets throughout the North Island and a smaller number of other outlets in the South Island.He says Farmpure runs around 120 head of cattle in the North Island per week and 40 head per fortnight in the South Island through its programme. The deal has seen butchers taken out of supermarkets and instead put them in a central location, making it easier to monitor food safety. "˜It's been a big thing for them to take their butchers out of stores but they seem to be happy with it. "˜It enables them to do a lot of value-adding. "˜The corresponding improvements in traceability are a critical requirement in its being able to supply a branded product of high quality,' he says. "˜We've put in place our own traceability systems, based on United States technology, that utilises GPS technology. It's time to adopt the new technologies that are available.' To make it work, Farmpure has had to be able to guarantee a year-round supply, meeting certain specifications required by the supermarket chains. "˜We've set up a producer club and those who have joined and meet the necessary requirements are rewarded for their part in the supply chain. "˜Without a doubt, this is the way forward.
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