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 Known as 'Te Mana lambs', they are part of an effort by the island
nation to future-proof its agricultural sector from the threat of
meat and dairy substitutes based on synthetic proteins or
plant-based alternatives.
Aimed at occupying a similar niche as premium Wagyu beef, each Te
Mana lamb has a unique number and has been tracked, weighed and
scanned since birth.
"We've got to tell our story better and we can't do that unless we
collect the information…everything's got to be right," said Harper,
whose farm hosts the lambs for their final few weeks grazing on
chicory herbs after being brought down from the mountainous high
country.
The lambs have received millions of dollars in government funding in
a joint venture with meat company Alliance Group. Both want to cut
the country's dependence on shipping bulk commodities and move up
the value chain into luxury products with burnished ethical,
environmental and health credentials.
New Zealand relies on agricultural farming and processing for 8% of
its GDP, among the highest in the OECD so has a lot to lose as
synthetic food gathers momentum.
With an ideal climate, plenty of arable land and a long farming
history, New Zealand is the world's top dairy exporter, and ranks
second and seventh for sheepmeat and beef exports respectively.
"I see this as both an opportunity and threat to New Zealand,
depending on how we react to this emerging reality," New Zealand
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor told Reuters. "Animal welfare,
labor standards, environmental management and food safety systems
must be the best in the world."
DISRUPTIVE THREAT
The global meat substitutes market is predicted to reach $6.4
billion by 2023, according to research firm Markets and Markets,
still a tiny fraction of the multi-trillion dollar traditional meat
market but growing quickly. Asia, New Zealand's top agricultural
export market, is the fastest growing region.
High-profile investors are pouring in.
Vegan burger maker Beyond Meat Inc, which counts Microsoft founder
Bill Gates and actor Leonardo DiCaprio among its backers, saw shares
surge after its initial public stock offering, reflecting ravenous
investor demand.
Impossible Foods, which makes a meatless plant-based burger and is
backed by celebrities like Serena Williams and Katy Perry, this week
announced it raised $300 million ahead of a possible initial public
offering.
Dairy is also at risk, particularly in the ingredients business,
which relies on products such as milk powder and dairy-protein
casein in everything from cakes and cookies to salad dressing and
chewing gum.
San Francisco-based Perfect Day plans to roll out dairy-like
ingredients based on yeast cultures within the next two years, while
Ripple Foods is selling a milk substitute, derived from yellow peas,
throughout the United States.
New Zealand's Fonterra, the world's biggest dairy exporter, has
taken note. It made a modest investment – it has not disclosed the
exact value - in U.S.-based Motif, a start-up using fermentation
technology to create ingredients that mimic milk and egg proteins.
"We're trying....to position ourselves so if this was to take off
and become a huge demand, that we're well placed to try and tap into
it," said Judith Swales, head of Fonterra's consumer and foodservice
business. "We can't say that we don't see an increasing rise in
veganism and vegetarianism."
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After safety scares in China and criticism from environmentalists at
home, Fonterra has also introduced a 'trusted goodness' seal to its
products, which it says reflects increased efforts to improve
traceability and ensure its grass-fed status and animal welfare meet
independent standards.
CHANGES COMING
Still, many animal and environmental advocates say damage from
industrial agriculture is unavoidable.
Complaints include the removal of male 'bobby' calves from their
mothers, methane emissions from animals, and chemical and
agricultural runoff polluting New Zealand's once pristine rivers and
lakes.
The government has introduced new requirements for the agriculture
sector to slash methane emissions by 10 percent in the next decade,
drawing a vocal backlash from farmers who say they have already
improved practices significantly.
The industry is banking on its clean, green image to capture a niche
global pool of consumers willing to pay a premium for ethically
produced real meat and dairy.
"There's going to be people who don't always want to have the
synthetic stuff and having the organic, outdoor pasture fed stuff is
definitely going to have a huge part of that market," said
entrepreneur Craig Piggott.
His agri-tech start-up, Halter, has won backing from Silicon Valley
venture capitalists, some of whom also invest in synthetic proteins.
North Island-based Halter is in the trial phases of a device, worn
around the cow's necks, that allows farmers to monitor cattle health
from an iPad, much like a human fitness tracker.
The device can help to share information with consumers and uses
noises and vibrations to direct livestock away from waterways
without the need for farmhands, dogs, or fences.
Other agricultural projects, from milk powder with immune-enhancing
probiotic properties to farm management and product tracing
software, are attracting government research and funding through the
Ministry of Primary Industries.
The partly state-funded Primary Growth Partnership plans to spend
NZ$726 million ($478 million) on innovative projects in agriculture
and horticulture. Te Mana lambs received NZ$12.5 million from the
fund for the decade they took to develop with the help of a
full-time geneticist and a handful of farmers working to develop a
new niche for one of New Zealand's most famous foods.
"There are some big changes coming," said Harper, 57, one of the
farmers. "We're going to see more changes in the next 10 or 15 years
than we've ever seen before."
(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield. Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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