Scaling up production and application of norbormide for pest control in agricultural settings
Project start: 19 May 2022
Project length: 2 years
MPI funding: $125,000
Industry funding: $125,000
Industry partners: Invasive Pest Control (IPC) Ltd
Region: Nationwide
This unique project represents a crucial step towards enabling scaled-up production of norbormide for residue-free, safe and effective rodent control on New Zealand farms. This will be a world first.
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.
Scientists launch study into what makes the best New Zealand pork
Smart Ewes for Smart Markets
Project start: 20 October 2021
Project length: 3 years
MPI funding: $718,898
Industry funding: $1,060,540
Industry partner: Smart Shepherd NZ Limited, Horizon Farming, Hewett Farms, Panoptistar, Stag Valley, Lonestar Farms, Harper Agri, Smart Ewe, Auckland City Council
Region: Nationwide
The project involves attaching blue-tooth proximity tags to ewes and their lambs. These tags will collect detailed data on maternal behaviour of ewes from sheep farms over 3 years. The data and predictors will then be applied to farm systems to inform breeding decisions and improve mothering outcomes.
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.
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]
July to September 2022: Informing New Zealand Beef progress report [PDF, 1.2 MB]
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.
Future proofing the New Zealand poultry industry against biological hazards
Project start: 9 March 2020
Project length: 2 years 9 months
MPI funding: $240,000
Industry funding: $110,000
Industry partner: Massey University, Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand, Egg Producers Federation
Region: Nationwide
The New Zealand poultry industry is vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks that can disrupt domestic supply chains as well as access to international trade markets. This project involves working with poultry producers, industry, and government to co-design a national poultry information system with decision-support tools to help the poultry industry prepare and respond effectively to future disease threats.
