NZ red meat exports top $750 million last month
Although the volumes were lower y-o-y, New Zealand's red meat exports for February were up in terms of value. Red meat exports for last month totaled NZ$ 1.1 billion ($762 million), with increases in value in all major markets.
According to data released by the Meat Industry Association (MIA), volumes exported were down 11% in sheepmeat and 7% in beef but the value in the international market has helped the industry hedge the losses in shipments abroad. However, the industry must expect challenging times ahead, as the labour force is scarce in the region and disruptions in the supply chain have become more frequent.
"Absenteeism in processing plants due to staff having to isolate during the Covid-19 pandemic is adding to the pressure on our industry, which is already dealing with a significant labour shortage and ongoing global logistics challenges," Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of MIA said.
The first signs of labour shortage in processing plants is revealed by a limit in exporting some products, she added. "For example, while offal prices are still high, the volume of offal exported in February was down around 35% compared to February exports in the previous six years, indicating that there aren't the staff available to process every part of the carcass and companies are not able to maximise the value of each carcass that is processed", Mrs Karapeeva mentioned, according to the NZ Herald newspaper.
Meantime, disruptions in the supply chain have put a mark on chilled sheepmeat exports, which are down by 18%. The largest drop was reported in the shipment to the UK (-52%).
In February, the overall value of exports to China increased by 4%, the United States was up 34% and the UK 28%, but most of the products delivered in the British market were consisting in frozen meat.
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