Business View Oceania | Volume 3, Issue 11

13 14 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 11 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 3, ISSUE 11 MEAT INDUSTRY ASSOC I AT ION (MI A) The priorities in the strategy mirror the 2020 Red Meat Sector Strategy and focus on market position, innovation, and sustainability. Projects cover a range of areas from product benefits and attributes, nutrition, food safety, emerging technologies, and the environment. The policy of the Research and Development Strategy is reviewed annually and guides all areas of investment by MIA on behalf of its members. MIA is committed to staying in touch with its members through a range of communications channels. Regular updates are provided via email, social media, and on the MIA website to keep members up to date on industry-specific issues as they arise. Twice a year, MIA publishes The Red Meat Report in collaboration with Beef & Lamb New Zealand, to cover policy changes, distribute work portfolios, and update industry stakeholders. Ms. Karapeeva continues, “We also have our annual Red Meat Sector Conference, which is really a great event to bring all our members together and talk about some of the issues of the day. What are the trends coming up? What should we be thinking about, and what do we need to do together to respond to any issues we currently see or might see in the sector?” The future of the association looks bright. With members around the country working to solidify global trade relationships whilst maintaining social, economic, and environmental best practices, Ms Karapeeva feels the industry will continue to develop positively. “There are always going to be challenges and opportunities. We have worked very hard to develop, establish, and maintain really stringent credentials and regulations around food safety and quality. We do want to expand those regulations into other areas, for example for those discerning consumers that are looking for very natural products without additives, hormones, or antibiotics; animals that are grass feed, free range, and the like. So, I think there’s a real opportunity to differentiate along those.” Ms. Karapeeva concludes, “There are areas that need further development in the innovation sphere, particularly around some of the more labour intensive or complex roles where we can supplement with technologies that assist the workers to do their work. But we don’t want to move towards full mechanisation; it’s important to keep our workers in jobs and retain that human element of the work. Things like finely tuned scanners to help make the best cuts and present products better, improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and add further value to our products.” MIA will continue to represent its exporter, processor, and affiliate company members going forward as the peak body association for New Zealand’s thriving meat sector.