Pork eating quality standard
Project start: 1 March 2022
Project length: 1 year
MPI funding: $45,000
Industry funding: $64,523
Industry partners: New Zealand Pork Industry Board
Region: Nationwide
This project will seek ways to improve pork eating quality. The findings will aid the development of a consumer-based pork quality standard.
Farming with Native Biodiversity
Project start: 19 October 2021
Project length: 20 months
MPI funding: $998,200
Industry funding: $430,000
Industry partners: New Zealand Landcare Trust, Silver Fern Farms, Living Water Partnership
Region: Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Canterbury, Otago, Southland
This is a project pilot to develop science-based resources that enable farmers to take long-term affirmative action for biodiversity on their farm. The project will work with farmers, catchment groups, councils and others to develop case studies in different regions, people capability and co-develop resources that will bring biodiversity into farm systems thinking and provide proof of concept for applying nationally.
Dung Life
Project start: 15 March 2021
Project length: 5 years
MPI funding: $91,500
Industry funding: $42,000
Industry partners: AgResearch, Project Parore, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Otago University
Region: Bay of Plenty
This project will assess the impact of dung fauna interactions on the environment, soil and animal health. This includes specifically looking at the interactions between dung beetles and earthworms, which has not been significantly studied in New Zealand. The aim is to understand these interactions throughout the seasons to enable confident investment by livestock farmers.
Marine, poultry and vegan salami project
Project start: 20 January 2021
Project length: 2 years
MPI funding: $306,000
Industry funding: $456,000
Industry partners: Aotea Organics Ltd
Region: Auckland
This project aims to develop a range of premium marine-based, chicken and vegan salami. Recipes and processing techniques will be trialled and tested for shelf life, texture and taste.
Informing New Zealand Beef
Project start: 1 January 2021
Project length: 7 years
MPI funding: $6,684,600
Industry funding: $10,026,900
Industry partners: Beef + Lamb New Zealand Limited
Region: Nationwide
Informing New Zealand Beef (INZB) aims to deliver best practice genetic selection tools to improve the productivity and profitability of New Zealand’s beef industry, in a sustainable manner that responds to consumer preferences.
New Zealand beef genetics to receive $16.7m injection
Informing New Zealand Beef outcome logic model [PDF, 67 KB]
Pig Gas: A greenhouse gas emissions calculator for New Zealand pig farmers
Project start: 18 August 2020
Project length: 1 year
MPI funding: $25,500
Industry funding: $49,500
Industry partner: New Zealand Pork Industry Board
Region: Nationwide
This project will develop a tool for New Zealand pig farmers to estimate carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from their piggery operations. The tool will be adapted from an existing Australian model to suit New Zealand farming operations and emissions reporting data/criteria. The project will include communicating how to use this tool.
Raw wild game pet food (not freeze dried)
Project start: 9 July 2020
Project length: 2 years
MPI funding: $12,000
Industry funding: $18,000
Industry partner: Merit Meats Ltd
Region: Otago/Auckland
This project aims to produce ethical, sustainable, and healthy pet food products made from pest species, such as wild venison and wild tahr.
NZ charcuterie culture – fine food manufacturing from grass-fed red meats
Project start: 9 June 2020
Project length: 4 years
MPI funding: $982,320
Industry funding: $1,473,480
Industry partner: Four Good Foods
Region: Bay of Plenty
Four Good Foods aims to create a new value chain producing fine charcuterie products with new flavours. The meat will be naturally fermented without added nitrates or chemicals. This high-end, unique product has the potential to create a new domestic industry sector and export option for New Zealand red meats.
Meat the Need
Project start: 14 May 2020
Project length: 3 years
MPI funding: $318,500
Industry funding: $550,000
Industry partner: Meat the Need Trust
Region: South Island
Meat the Need is a charitable organisation aimed at eliminating food poverty in New Zealand. They are developing a non-profit framework for farmers to donate livestock to convert into meat for charities. Meat the Need will act as a charitable supply chain to serve existing agencies already serving the community.
Gourmet direct dairy based rose veal production model
Project start: 7 May 2020
Project length: 2 years
MPI funding: $364,000
Industry funding: $546,000
Industry partner: Gourmet Direct
Region: Hawke’s Bay
Gourmet Direct is developing a scalable production model to produce Rose Veal derived from mature bobby calves, and to extract further value from the by-products such as offal, bones and hides. This would reduce the large number of bobby calves destroyed and discarded on farm each year.
