Agri-Food Field Notes November 2024

A new project has been launched across 14 nations in Europe to increase the time spent between newborn dairy calves and their mothers, often referred to as the Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) system. The €3 million initiative aims to ramp up the adoption of the system through establishing a European network addressing farmers' needs and knowledge gaps. It will also use national hubs to test new CCC practises, benefiting calves, cows, and farmers while meeting consumer demand.

A new joint research project between Australia and the United Kingdom could enable agricultural drones to navigate across unlimited distance without GPS. Similar to fingerprint scanners, the new technology scans the changing terrain and matches it to a pre-existing database of the Earth's surface enabling precise and repeatable farming operations, even in environments with poor GPS signals.

French supermarket chain, Carrefour, has announced it will not market meat imported from Mercosur countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia) following protests by farmers against a recent trade deal. The trade agreement would permit an additional 99,000 tonnes of Mercosur beef to enter the European Union tariff free, raising concerns among farmers over the potential impact on domestic production and Mercosur’s ability to meet EU standards and requirements.   

Ukrainian exports of grain, oilseeds, meal, and oil grew by US$1.6 billion in the 2024/2025 July-October season compared to the previous season. Farmers generated significantly higher earnings from exporting wheat, barley, rapeseed, and soybeans. However, corn exports are predicted to decline due to reduced demand from China, prompting exporters to diversify their markets.

The European Union (EU) has launched the "Garden of Europe" campaign to boost the market presence and consumer awareness of European agri-food products. The initiative emphasises the high quality, safety standards, and nutritional benefits of EU products, ensuring consumers receive premium goods. It is currently targeting Greek kiwifruits and Polish apples in Indonesia, India, and other markets to boost exports.

The United States Forest Service are proposing to allow increased logging on federal lands across the Pacific Northwest to fight wildfires and boost rural economies. The proposal aims to change the Northwest Forest Plan, increasing timber harvests by at least 33% and allowing the removal of trees up to 120 years old in certain areas to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Elsewhere in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is recalling various brands of organic carrots due to E. Coli contamination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the contaminated carrots could be the cause of a multi-state E. Coli outbreak, causing 39 illnesses, 15 hospitalisations, and one death in California.

The culling of 80,000 hens is in progress at an Otago poultry farm to control the highly pathogenic H7N6 avian flu virus outbreak. While aggressive, this avian influenza is not the H5N1 strain that has raised concerns internationally. Investigations are underway at a second poultry farm in Otago, however no links have been found between the two poultry farms yet.

ApiNZ and the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association will merge to form a new honey industry body. The move comes after ApiNZ recognised that its voluntary membership funding had become financially unsustainable, particularly in light of the industry’s decreasing honey returns to producers. The merger aims to create a united industry with a strong export focus while advocating for bee health and government issues.

Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited’s season-to-date milk collection is nearly 5% ahead of last season's, largely due to favourable weather conditions in the North Island. Collections totalled 512.2 million kilogrammes of milk solids since 1 June this year, representing $3.7 billion in farmgate milk payouts so far.

In Australia, up to 1,500 warehouse workers for supermarket Woolworths are in their second week of 24-hour strikes, resulting in empty shelves in stores. Woolworths confirmed that there was "limited stock flow" in some stores in Victoria, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory. While all stores are still receiving regular deliveries, there is reduced frequency in some cases.

Grower-owned research and development body Hort Innovation has partnered with investment firm Artesian to deliver a AU$60 million fund to support innovation in the horticulture sector. The world-first “Hort Innovation Venture Fund” will target tech solutions to improve the productivity and sustainability of fruit, vegetable and nut growers. The fund aims to attract domestic and international developers ready to commericalise their idea

Instacart partnership seeks to improve food access for expectant mothers
[The Packer, 27 November]

In Michigan, USA, a new initiative through the partnership of delivery company, Instacart, and multi-state healthcare provider, Molina Healthcare, is aiming to address food insecurity for expectant mothers. The aim of the collaboration is to reduce birth outcome disparities and improve equity for underserved populations throughout Michigan.

A study highlighted that pregnant women living more than 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) from a supermarket are three times more likely to have a low-birth-weight child. The joint programme offers Instacart+ memberships and grocery stipends to expectant mothers facing food insecurity, enabling online grocery shopping with free delivery, thus enhancing access to healthy food options, convenience, and better nutrition.

Good Trash and Silver Fern Farms Partner to Transform Food Waste into Culinary Innovation
[Newswire, 13 November]

A new circular menu concept, Good Bites, has been developed to address food waste and demonstrate alternative uses for food industry by-products. The initiative, a collaboration between Silver Fern Farms Limited and Good Trash, seeks to upcycle waste meat trimmings into profitable, sustainable menu items reducing the environmental footprint.

The initiative has shown how innovative partnerships can address environmental challenges while highlighting new revenue streams and sustainable practices in the food industry. Food waste accounts for up to 10% of global emissions, exceeding the impact of the aviation industry.

The concept was launched at a reception previewing Silver Fern Farms' new product range ahead of their seventh consecutive appearance at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Seaweed farming: Hauraki Gulf pilot programme paves way for potential aquaculture industry
[RNZ, 23 November]

The Greenwave Aotearoa project has successfully completed its three-year pilot programme, testing native seaweed cultivation in the Hauraki Gulf. The initiative, co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries, focused on exploring native seaweed cultivation methods to develop a new aquaculture industry.

The pilot successfully demonstrated the feasibility of seaweed aquaculture in New Zealand, even adding Gigartina atropurpurea (red seaweed) to the pilot in the final year. Despite facing challenges with marine pests, supply chain issues, various environmental and biophysical conditions, the pilot proved that the native seaweed, Ecklonia radiata (Brown Kelp) can be farmed in the Hauraki Gulf, especially in multitrophic areas alongside mussels.