Ingredients

Corbion appoints IMCD in Australia and New Zealand as distributor of biobased food and non-food ingredients

Corbion, supplier of biobased food ingredients and lactic acid specialties, has appointed IMCD, a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients, as the new distributor of most of its ingredients in Australia and New Zealand. For manufacturers of confectionery, beverages, baked goods, sauces, dressings, condiments and prepared foods, IMCD will represent Corbion beginning July, 2020. For meat, poultry and seafood, The Hela & Schwarz group will continue as Corbion’s exclusive distributor partner in the region. “We’re very pleased to appoint IMCD as our exclusive partner in ANZ,” says Andrew Pearce, country manager, Australia & New Zealand at Corbion. “Corbion is uniquely positioned to anticipate and respond to the trends that are defining today’s food industry, and IMCD’s presence, growth ambition and customer-first approach are closely aligned to ours. “As a result, we see a significant opportunity to expand and improve our service levels to customers both existing and new, as we help them create and commercialise foods and beverages that set them apart on retail shelves.” Pasquale Piscopo, general manager Australia and New Zealand, food & nutrition at IMCD adds, “Corbion is an excellent fit for IMCD as we share sector expertise and growth ambitions in the region. We see Corbion’s clean label food solutions, lactic acid derivatives and emulsifiers as valuable tools for formulators throughout the industry to create healthy, convenient and sustainable foods and beverages, and we’re looking forward to working together to bring more to market.” Additionally, IMCD assumes responsibility for distributing Corbion’s lactic acid specialties and derivatives product portfolio servicing the home personal care, I&I, chemical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors in Australia and New Zealand beginning July, 2020. “Choosing a strategic distribution partner to represent Corbion was a decision not only focused on the food industry,” says Pearce. “We are also wanting to expand our […]

DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand welcome sector-wide vision

DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand welcomes the launch of a shared sector-wide vision to be world leaders in the sustainable production of high-quality food and fibre. “We are supportive of the Primary Sector Council’s broad vision of having a coordinated approach across sectors and Government that will help us develop our international brand and deliver more value for farmers,” Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Chair Andrew Morrison said. “New Zealand farmers are constantly having to adapt to shifting consumer demands in order to compete internationally and achieve a premium in the global marketplace. Increasingly consumers are asking for assurances that the product is both sustainably and ethically produced. “We believe that our farmers are already world leaders when it comes to the production of high-quality, pasture-based products with a low environmental impact – but that doesn’t mean we can get complacent. We are always striving to improve” DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel added. “Sustainable farming has a critical role to play in New Zealand’s future prosperity and wellbeing. If we all work together to embrace change, adapt and thrive, Kiwi farmers have a bright future ahead. The Primary Sector Council’s vision – Fit for a Better World – aligns with work that is already underway from both DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand in the form of both Dairy Tomorrow and Taste Pure Nature. Dairy Tomorrow is our dairy sector strategy to ensure dairy farming is sustainable and profitable into the future. It includes six key commitments: • We will protect and nurture the environment for future generations; • We will build the world’s most competitive and resilient dairy farming businesses; • We will produce the highest quality and most valued dairy nutrition; • We will be world leading in on-farm animal care; • We will […]

Farmer voting open for DairyNZ board

Voting closes before DairyNZ’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Hamilton on Tuesday, October 22.

OVERSEER’s significant contribution to New Zealand agriculture

“OVERSEER is a tool that has given a great deal to the agriculture sector and will keep giving for the foreseeable future,” says Caroline Read the General Manager of OVERSEER. “It’s a gift that keeps giving,” she says. This follows the release of an independent valuation report prepared by Hamilton-based agricultural economist Phil Journeaux entitled “Valuation of the Benefits of the OVERSEER® Nutrient Budget Model”. In his report, Journeaux points out that OVERSEER has become a vital tool for managing nutrient use by providing a picture of nutrient movement on a farm, including estimating nutrient leaching. To derive similar information to that provided by OVERSEER would involve significant costs to users, especially farmers and regional councils, and may not be as accurate or effective in predicting nutrient use for individual farms. “The already sunk cost of the agricultural sector into OVERSEER is estimated at around $12m over its 16 year history. Journeaux’s estimates of the benefit to the sector far exceed this cost,” says Read. With or without-OVERSEER scenarios were considered by a range of experts interviewed by Journeaux during the three months of field research he undertook. He focused on three areas: fertiliser application, nutrient management on-farm and research, to arrive at an average benefit of $271m per year. This value projected over a 50 year lifetime is calculated as $3.3b. “This is a very large figure. It is useful to have specified this figure using recognised valuation criteria as it confirms that there is real and solid value in OVERSEER. It demonstrates that the investment of the OVERSEER owners has been more than justified and has created substantial value for the sector,” she says. The report notes that without OVERSEER, nutrient budget assessments would be more manual, taking more time and requiring more information and calculations. Soil testing […]

Prestigious scholarship for Māori student

A Lincoln University Master’s student has been awarded a prestigious scholarship that aims to increase Māori participation in the fisheries and aquaculture industries. Roxanne Lloyd, who is studying towards a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Management, received the Rona Scholarship at the recent 2015 Ngā Whetū Hei Whai: Charting Pathways for Māori Industry Future Conference. Each year, the Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust awards up to 10 of these scholarships to Māori who are completing degrees in fisheries, aquaculture or marine sciences. “It was great to be given the opportunity to go to the Ngā Whetū Hei Whai conference,” Ms Lloyd says. “There were a number of inspiring speakers, such as Sir Mason Durie, Dr Ernesto Sirolli and the Minister of Māori Development, Hon Te Ururoa Flavell. “All the speakers encouraged and inspired us to work hard and achieve our goals as Māori. The conference was a chance to network with people from different fields. I think the people I met and the relationships I made at the conference will help me achieve my goals and future plans.” Ms Lloyd’s Master’s research involves exploring the pattern of marine farm locations throughout New Zealand and investigating how climate change can play a role in determining the best sites for such farms. “Climate change can affect a number of important resources that humans rely on,” she says. “In particular, aquaculture provides a food source, but an increase in water temperature or ocean acidification can alter the environments needed to farm certain species.” Her research involves mapping the marine farm locations using GIS and agent-based modelling. “I have always had an interest in GIS, and have been able to learn a new skill while carrying out this research.” Ms Lloyd started working towards her Master’s degree at Lincoln in April this year, after […]

Hot topics in the paddock

Over 200 farmers and rural professionals turned up for a third Farm Focus Day at Owl Farm this week to take part in sessions dealing with topics relevant right now to the struggling dairy industry. Visitors to the St Peter’s School and Lincoln University Demonstration Dairy Farm in Cambridge heard from Demonstration Manager Doug Dibley about the farm’s season-to-date performance, and related ideas for improving performance in a poor payout year. “Like most Waikato Farms,” says Doug, “Owl Farm has felt the impact of a cold and wet July and August, which has led to much lower average pasture growth rates than anticipated. Production for the season is currently three percent down on the previous season.” Doug reported that Owl Farm is currently primed to capitalise on better growing conditions, which are expected to occur sooner rather than later, at which point managing pasture quality will become the number one priority. “The cows have recently just hit an average of 2kgMS/cow/day and we are hoping to hold them at this level longer to re-capture some of the lost production.” Farmers at the Focus Day were surveyed around their priorities in low payout seasons. Sixty percent said they focus attention on cost of production rather than increasing pasture harvested per hectare. When asked about actions undertaken on farm to reduce financial impact, indications were of slightly fewer cows being milked than last season and less spending on capital fertiliser. While half of those surveyed hadn’t reduced costs, others said they will be buying less supplement in than last season. Nearly half indicated that their summer cropping regime would remain the same this year. Others indicated it would increase as a result of less available brought-in feed. Several farm strategies were modelled against Owl Farm’s existing system to understand the financial implications. […]

NZ Merino inks $8 million contract to supply US-based SmartWool

The New Zealand Merino Company, which markets the nation’s wool to customers on behalf of suppliers, has inked an $8 million one year deal to supply 600 tonnes of New Zealand fine and medium micron wool to US sock and apparel manufacturer SmartWool. NZ Merino aims to boost sheep grower returns from wool through supply agreements with companies such as New Zealand outdoor clothing brand Icebreaker and Danish slipper manufacturer Glerups. The SmartWool supply contract continues an 18 year partnership which has been worth $150 million to NZ Merino growers. “The SmartWool contract is testament that a new way of doing business can work in our commodity based primary sector,” NZ Merino chief executive John Brakenridge said in a statement. “There certainly seems to be heightened awareness of this model now in the primary sector. It brings producers closer to end users and that’s important in making sure we supply a premium offering. It means NZM growers get the best possible return.” Colorado based SmartWool’s parent company, VF Corp, counts The North Face, Timberland and Vans among its global brands. SmartWool started as a ski sock brand in 1994 and has since diversified into performance and lifestyle apparel, selling products in 40 countries. SmartWool’s customers were increasingly interested in the company’s ‘brand story’, particularly fibre that was accredited through NZ Merino’s ZQ programme which requires standards for animal welfare, environmental care and social sustainability, as well as the high quality of the wool, said SmartWool president Mark Satkiewicz. The company’s focus on new product innovation required more complex fibre micron and volume analysis in advance of the contract, Satkiewicz said.

Industry invests in farming women

From left: UYFB facilitiator Justine Kidd, AWDT executive director Lindy Nelson and facilitator Sam Orsborn at one of the UYFB pilot programmes held in 2014. A programme to improve on-farm performance and profitability of sheep and beef farmers by developing the business skills of farming women is being funded by the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP). Funding from RMPP will see up to 160 sheep and beef farming women throughout New Zealand complete the Agri-Women’s Development Trust’s (AWDT) Understanding Your Farming Business (UYFB) programme during 2015. Successfully piloted last year with 90 women by the AWDT, in partnership with Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the programme equips farming women with the business knowledge, skills and confidence to better engage as critical farming partners. The Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) is a unique collaboration between nine industry partners and the Government who are coordinating efforts to increase profitability and productivity in the red meat sector. All investment is centred behind the farm gate, aligning with the recommendations in the Red Meat Sector Strategy. The UYFB programme is one of the first RMPP-funded activities to roll out to farmers. “We welcome this investment in women who make up 50 percent of our sector but who have usually gained their skills through default rather than design,” AWDT executive director Lindy Nelson said. “The RMPP support enables us to extend our targeted development to women in farming partnerships while creating change agents to help achieve the Government’s goal of doubling agricultural sector exports by 2025.” RMPP General Manager, Duncan McKinnon said the AWDT programme fitted extremely well with the aims of the RMPP. “We’ve done some very comprehensive research into the characteristics of high performing farmers and a common factor is the family farming partnership. Those businesses where the husband and wife and wider […]

Accreditation milestone for Synlait Milk

Synlait Milk has become a registered manufacturer of retail-ready infant milk formula for export to China. The Canterbury company announced on September 30 it had received approval from the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China. Managing director John Penno said the latest registration was a major milestone for the business. It added to its registration as a manufacturer of general dairy products and infant formula base powders for export to China, granted in May. ”Being able to manufacture and export high-quality finished infant formula products to China will help Synlait Milk deliver on its value-added strategy, and provides an important confidence boost for our China business where we see significant opportunity for future earnings,” Dr Penno said. Synlait had applied for registration after the Ministry for Primary Industries approved the risk management programme for its dry blending and consumer packaging plant. The plant could process 30,000 metric tonnes a year at the rate of 110 cans a minute. That made it ”a cost-competitive solution for large-volume customers”, the company said. ”It was our intention to build the best plant of its type in the southern hemisphere, particularly in terms of operating efficiency and product quality standards, and feedback from our multinational customers who refer to the plant as `next generation’ affirms our goal,” Dr Penno said. ”We now have an integrated facility on one site in Canterbury, New Zealand that gives us full manufacturing and packaging control, and delivers on the needs of our infant formula customers for a complete, integrated supply chain solution, from raw milk sourcing and collection through to manufacturing and retail packaging.” Automation reduced physical handling of product, and a purpose-built, in-process laboratory inspected every can processed.

LtoR Stuart Gordon CEO of Waikato Innovation Park Minister Steven Joyce and Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker Oct2014

Waikato Innovation Park receives $3M to ramp up value-added food production

The Waikato Innovation Park has received a $3 million equity injection from Callaghan Innovation. It will use the funds to kick off a $5.0 million expansion of its FoodWaikato spray drying facility this month. At full capacity, the new manufacturing capability is expected to inject an additional $38.5 million per year in export revenues back into the New Zealand economy from the sale of new, value-added consumer products. “With this expansion, FoodWaikato will provide a greater level of development and innovation capability to dairy companies – that’s cow, goat and sheep – as well as fruit and vegetables producers. “We’re moving from helping our customers manufacture ingredients that sell for around US$4,700 per tonne to US$20,000 per tonne. At full capacity, we will produce around 2500 tonnes of new, value-added products,” explained Waikato Innovation Park CEO, Stuart Gordon. Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said the investment aligns with Callaghan Innovation’s goal of accelerating commercialisation of innovation by firms in New Zealand. “The expansion of FoodWaikato provides more open access facilities that support smart ideas coming out of the food and beverage sector. “With an estimated $38.25 million per year of additional export revenues expected to flow back into the New Zealand economy due to this one initiative, the FoodWaikato plant expansion will help more companies take their innovations to new export markets and help the Government reach its goal of doubling the value of exports by 2025,” Joyce outlined. Stuart Gordon said expanding the facility is all about helping more companies take their innovations to new export markets. “There’s no other open access spray drying facility in Australasia where companies can manufacture smaller runs of their first commercial batch of a new product. The only option for them is to build their own plant, which is cost-prohibitive for most companies […]

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