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Special edition Meeting the Market | December 2025

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GLOBAL INSIGHTS

F O R N E W Z E A LA N D FARMERS

Reporters Neal Wallace and Richard Rennie discover how our food and fibre is viewed by the people who buy it, and the businesses that sell it. www.farmersweekly.co.nz/meeting-the-market

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Security top of mind as demand dynamics shift NZ’s primary sector suppliers to Europe and the United States are having to account for a shift in focus that is affecting market trends. Neal Wallace

MARKETS

Trade

ONSUMER markets in the United States and Europe may be large and incredibly complex but they have also shown they are very responsive. On my recent Meeting the Market tour of the US and Europe, a year after my previous visit, I witnessed a fundamental shift in government priorities. Top of their list was security of defence, security of energy and security of food. US President Donald Trump was elected to the White House on a promise of Making America Great Again, which underpins his economic and trade policy and, as we have seen, is impacting the rest of the world. Alongside reacting to the geopolitical uncertainty, in Europe there is palpable fear about the impact on food and energy of the seemingly never-ending RussiaUkraine war, let alone the risk of the conflict drawing in NATO countries. This means Europe’s much vaunted environmental regulations have become less of a priority, although European dairy farmers still claim they face suffocating right-to-farm and compliance pressures. Other changes were noted. A year ago dairy prospects were promising and meat less so, but a subsequent fall in global meat

production suggests producers should have a year or two of favourable prices. Last year consumers could afford to be discerning and favour products whose producers reflect their values and concerns, such as climate change and the environment. While those concerns are still relevant, for many consumers purchasing decisions have been overtaken by price and food security. The US is emerging as dairy’s dominant global exporter, as the long-term outlook is for production in Europe, New Zealand and the United Kingdom that is either flat or falling, leaving the US as the only producer able to fill that void.

I witnessed a fundamental shift in government priorities. Top of their list was security of defence, security of energy and security of food. Expansion is underway outside the US’s traditional dairy stronghold state of California, with a 25,000-cow farm and another of 12,000 being built, while two processors are each spending NZ$1.7 billion on new cheese production plants and another producer is spending NZ$2 billion on a cottage cheese and sour cream plant. After 50 years’ absence, Fonterra is re-entering the UK market on the back of its ingredients and food service strategy, a move that complements its growing ingredients and food service presence in the US. Interest in diets involving dairy

protein shows no sign of easing. Equally, demand for meat will ensure it remains on family dining tables, although not seven days a week. The world continues to want beef while Silver Fern Farms and Alliance have receptive and growing markets for lamb, with demand built on our natural farming attributes. However, you have to search to find lamb in most supermarkets. Our European red meat customers are well aware of stock numbers, growing conditions and challenges facing NZ farmers, with long-term SFF customer, Netherlands-based Luiten Food, hoping higher prices will lead to more sheep being farmed. Globally, consumers have woken up to the evidence that heavily processed food is unhealthy and they are looking for food with ingredient lists they recognise and can pronounce. That shift is most profound with Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, who have a vastly different approach to food than the Generation Y cohort does. They see through claims and waffle. They want real food supported by a real story and if it involves animal fat, that is even better. Rabobank has calculated that food demand in countries such as the US could fall 1% given the rate at which new-generation weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are being adopted. The role of protein in maintaining muscle mass is unlikely to curb demand among users. Having previously failed to get market traction, alternative protein manufacturers are regrouping with a less ambitious strategy of inching out their own

RECOGNITION: Globally, consumers have woken up to the evidence that heavily processed food is unhealthy and they are looking for food with ingredient lists they recognise. Photo: Pexels market share instead of trying to replace animal protein. The appearance and taste of these products still requires plenty of work. Zespri is a true international brand in part built on the success of its northern hemisphere fruit-growing presence, which ensures its branded kiwifruit is present in supermarkets all year round. Growers in the northern hemisphere are embracing the Zespri model, the assistance and growing advice they are offered and the financial premiums they receive from meeting the required standards. Wool was a mixed story. Merino wool is in demand because it has successfully differentiated itself and satisfies customer’s production values, while crossbred wool, loved by those who know about it, still}has

to overcome the challenge that a generation of consumers are oblivious to its attributes. In the US, where stock-proof fencing is not as extensively used as it is in NZ, Gallagher eShepherd virtual fencing is filling a void – allowing cattle to graze areas difficult to access while also giving farmers new farm management options. It is an example of NZ’s growing agritech industry, already a significant export industry that reflects how our products and experience are highly regarded internationally. New Zealand’s primary sector punches well above its weight. Our farmers, growers, processors and developers are respected and our products desired, but globally we are tiny and our future depends on satisfying the requirements of our customers.

THANKS FOR HELPING US MEET THE MARKET Farmers Weekly would like to thank the partners who make Meeting the Market possible. Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Rabobank, Zespri, Alliance Group, Meat Industry Association, Wools of NZ, Beef+Lamb NZ, NZ Merino, European Union and Gallagher

Learn more at farmersweekly.co.nz/meeting-the-market

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

China brings nuanced market needs Exporters now liken China to Europe, a more sophisticated, discerning market demanding more than a deal-making approach. Richard Rennie

MARKETS

Trade

HINA and southeast Asia, which now account for almost half New Zealand’s total exports, are too easily placed in the same vast, undifferentiated category despite their distinct differences. Within this massive population zone of over 2 billion people, contrasts in political, social, demographic and cultural aspects present opportunities that demand a nuanced, collaborative approach from NZ exporters. Ultimately China dominates, accounting for about 30% of export volumes. As a market it has been subject to a lot of scrutiny over its ability to continue to grow and thrive while grappling with challenges that include resource limitations and an ageing population. Academics have challenged its potential with assorted treatises asking questions like “Will China grow old before it grows wealthy?” Outwardly that appears a valid question. The country is grappling with record low birth rates, an increasing average age,

and sliding population numbers. But it is increasingly likely China will become both older and wealthier. Its latest revised economic growth rate of 4.8-5% would be the envy of many Western countries right now, even if it is about half the average that China experienced in the past decade. The Chinese government is pivoting the economy away from being the low-value factory of the world, to becoming a technology economy of excellence, focusing on high-tech manufacturing, innovation, quantum computing and artificial intelligence. This is backed with efforts to recruit the best in overseas talent, with incentives like the “K-Visa” to attract top scientific talent, while also providing a conducive environment for such firms to position themselves in those areas. The government is encouraging a more structured, strategic development after years of “Neijuan”, or involution that plays out as intense, destructive competition between firms. The slower growth rate provides a more measured environment to stage the mammoth shift in focus. But it also comes as the economy faces challenges, in part linked to this deliberate shift. A government-engineered collapse in property values is now tolling at about a 30% reduction in values. It has hit a society that, like New Zealand, puts much of its savings into its houses.

But the government is not backing down from a move inspired by its fear that exposure of China’s “big four” banks to an overheated housing market could lead to catastrophic financial failure. Meantime households are consuming less, feeling poorer, and getting by in ways many Western households could well relate to. But the entrepreneurial, innovative Chinese approach to business and making money continues to offer opportunities for NZ exporters prepared to build relationships and do the mahi. The NZ companies that are succeeding in China are those recognising the value of collaboration with Chinese partners. That could be recognising local companies’ value in helping grow the entire “grass fed” category, as in the case of Silver Fern Farms efforts to offer an alternative “local” grass-fed label alongside its own in the supermarket chiller. For Fonterra it is developing recipes and formulations for food companies, embedding within their business by offering advice on product improvements and innovations. For Zespri it may yet be collaborating with local kiwifruit growers keen to meet Zespri’s fruit standard and share the brand’s premium earnings. In the words of one seasoned primary exporter, the days of simply filling a container with whatever meat cuts were at hand

ENGINEERED: China’s surplus of 750 million square metres of housing space prompted the government to engineer a decline in property values to protect banks’ exposure, but consumers are bearing the pain as a loss in household wealth. Photo: Pexels

Its latest revised economic growth rate of 4.8-5% would be the envy of many Western countries right now, even if it is about half the average China experienced in the past decade. and shipping them off for certain sale are well gone. They now liken China to Europe. It is a more sophisticated, discerning market demanding more than a transactional, “deal making” approach. For exporters that can

collaborate and find their niche, the rewards will come. Chinese consumers regard NZ highly, with over 60 years of export relationships, an FTA and adroit diplomacy keeping those bonds strong and respectful. If Chinese government policy plays out over coming years as intended, the country will become a high-quality, high-tech economy with a social security system that recognises ageing and health care. With that will come greater inclination among consumers to spend more, including on high quality protein and produce from NZ, a country with long established trade and growing cultural connections.

Beijing digs in for innovation push Richard Rennie in Shanghai

NEWS

Trade

LEADING southeast Asia economist says China is now firmly and deeply in the throes of a transition to an innovative knowledge economy, a move not without its hurdles along the way. Dan Wang, director of the advisory company Eurasia Group, addressed the annual New Zealand Business Roundtable in China breakfast in Shanghai recently. Her address coincided with the release of the Chinese government’s 15th five-year plan. It clearly signals the Communist government wants the country to pivot into more tech-focused production, which also includes more “indigenous” and original innovation. This has been apparent in such moves as the “K Visa” programme aimed at attracting young graduate talent in science,

technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from around the world. “We are not just talking about

TWO TRACKS: Economist Dan Wang told the New Zealand Business Roundtable in China that China is experiencing two tiers of growth, with a wealthy premium sector continuing to thrive while everyday Chinese wage and salary earners are struggling with lower wealth levels.

engineers from India, but top talent from Europe and the United States.” Meantime part of the cost of this transformation is ensuring opportunities exist for the 12 million university graduates a year with skills increasingly mismatched to the drive for innovation in areas like quantum computing and chip production. They are a generation increasingly facing the prospect of their jobs being filled by automation and artificial intelligence. Earlier this year the BBC reported on delivery drivers with PhDs and high school handymen with graduate degrees being increasingly common as graduates competed fiercely for lower skilled occupations. Reports on youth unemployment rates have ranged from 15% to 20%. “To be very clear this is a war between China and the USA. There is very little room for China to rely on an old engine.” Playing alongside the shift is the engineered collapse in

FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N CHINA

the housing market that the government prompted when it saw property values spiralling upwards, overexposing the four main banks. The resulting surplus is estimated to be 750 million square meters of commercial and residential property. Prices have dropped about 30% over the past four years in a nation where home ownership represents a key means of saving, and there is little sign the slump is ending any time soon. With this has come a slump in consumer confidence, exacerbated by the lockdowns and limitations covid bought with it. “Today the consumer market is quite divided. The premium end is doing well, but if you go into malls in cities, they are quiet.” “These differences mean we should never focus on the

headline figures for the Chinese economy. They have essentially lost their meaning as most people are not dealing with an ‘average’ market.” With only a passing reference to the housing market in the latest five-year government plan, Wang said there is no indication the government is wavering from its stance on deflating the sector. “They are not bailing out on that decision. This downturn will last well beyond 2027.” She said the pivot to an innovative tech economy is a high-risk one. She likened it to the 1950s “Great Leap Forward”, which also came at a cost for two generations afterwards. “But there is a plan to put social support in place, including pensions and family support. “China is on the right track but most people want cash now but the government has decided to push this strategy [for innovation] forward.” She expects by 2035 China will become a major high-income economy, even with its lower growth rate of 4.5% per annum.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

Meat, milk price bonanza ‘the new normal’ Neal Wallace in Cologne

MARKETS

Exports

IVESTOCK farmers could be in for a prosperous few years with current elevated prices for dairy, beef and lamb predicted to remain for another year or two. That is the consensus of international meat and dairy company representatives and analysts, who said the market is responding to greater demand than supply. They said this could mean current pricing is the new normal. German sheepmeat importer Sven Jurgens of Jacobsen said lamb is in demand but numbers are declining, which is driving up prices. “What we now have in my opinion is the new normal,” he said from his stand at the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne. Cynthia Beretta, the owner of

Beretta Farms, a Canadian cattle farmer, processor and exporter, said it will be 18 months before beef prices ease. Beretta was also in Anuga and estimated beef prices are at least 20% higher than last year. “There are no cattle so we’ve got another year to 18 months before we could get any easing in prices.” It is a similar story for dairy, with higher prices driven by an insatiable global appetite for protein and limited supply.

What we now have in my opinion is the new normal. Sven Jurgens German lamb importer Cara Murphy, a senior manager of market intelligence with HighGround Dairy in Downers Grove, Illinois, told Farmers Weekly that demand for protein is expected to continue.

WINDOW: Cynthia Beretta, the owner of Canadian-based Beretta Farms, believes it could be at least 18 months before prices fall.

“People cannot get enough of protein and we can’t produce enough of it,” she said. She is watching closely for any consumer backlash. Demand for the health attributes of protein was evident at Anuga, where seemingly every beverage and food – plant as well as animal based – promoted its protein content. Jurgens said he does not see previously low lamb prices being reached again. There is consensus that consumers will respond to these prices by eating meat less regularly rather than switching to other proteins. Beretta agreed, saying demand is still high although some consumers are switching to lower priced cuts. She last saw cattle numbers this low in the 1980s. John Murphy the commercial manager with Ireland-based Liffey Meats, also did not see lamb prices falling to previous low levels. Lamb prices are currently about 30% higher than 15 months ago but consumer reaction has not seen a 30% decline in demand, due in part to prices rising gradually rather than in a sudden jump. Similarly, supermarkets absorbed some of the initial increases to ensure they didn’t burn off demand. Craig Newton, the general manager of Australia’s Southern Meats, part of the WAMMCO Group, said a dry summer and autumn has seen lower numbers of prime sheep processed. Numbers through its Goulburn Plant in Victoria were back 40% and the projected national lamb

NEW PLATEAU: German meat importer Sven Jurgens believes current prices are here to stay for the next few years.

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

kill this year was 22 million compared to 25 million in a normal year. Newton, who was part of a large Australian red meat industry contingent at Anuga, also believes current price levels are the new normal. “Customers realise they have got to pay the money or they will not get the product.” Jordan Bernard, an account manager with United Kingdombased Pickstock Telford, said UK beef prices reached NZ$16/kg last year but have slipped back to $15/kg. That reflects the global shortage, but Bernard said the UK red meat market was complicated by access to the market for foreign meat through free trade agreements.

He said UK consumers are increasingly driven by price over provenance. There appear to be few options to increase animal numbers, especially lamb, but there are signs the United States is ramping up milk production with up to 50,000 extra cows this year. June production was 4.2% higher than a year earlier, new dairy farms are being established, including one of 25,000 cows, in states away from the traditional stronghold of California, which has water issues. US dairy processors are investing heavily, with three billiondollar cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream projects underway. Rabobank US-based dairy analyst Lucas Fuess told Farmers Weekly that environmental constraints mean dairy production is declining in Europe and stable in NZ which leaves the US the only substantial producer where it can grow.

Jumping through hoops to get to NZ lamb Neal Wallace in Cologne

MARKETS

Exports

UST getting the correct regulatory approval is the first challenge for Norwegian meat importer Christian August Lunde. In a busy year his company, Ultimat, can import between 200 and 600 tonnes of lamb from Silver Fern Farms (SFF), but before he places an order, he has to enter an auction to secure a quota that means he pays a lower tariff of about 6.5%. “Every year I go to an auction in November to buy quota which gives me a reduced tariff which makes it possible to import meat from NZ.” Consumers recognise and seek the consistent quality NZ lamb, he said.

He has been a customer of SFF for 30 years and said if he had to pay a full tariff, for beef it would be about 330%, and although less on sheepmeat, it was still significant. Lunde, speaking to Farmers Weekly at the Anuga Food Fair in Cologne, Germany, said the policy is designed to protect Norway’s domestic sheep and beef farmers, who produce about 90,000 tonnes of beef a year and 60,000 tonnes of sheepmeat. E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

“Norwegians are lamb eaters compared to other Nordic countries,” he said. The Norwegian government protects its domestic livestock industry to ensure a geographic

spread of domestically produced meat. Farms are small and typically run cattle, pigs and sheep. The government restricts numbers on each farm, up to 100 cattle and 200 sheep, meaning about half the country’s 14,000 sheep and beef farmers require a secondary job. “It’s a very costly policy for the Norwegian government and we as taxpayers,” said Lunde. Sheep graze on Norway’s mountains from June to September before being housed in sheds from December until late March. Cattle, which have traditionally been based on dairy breeds, are similarly kept outdoors over the warmer months before being housed. Beef breeders are starting to introduce beef breed genetics. After easing for five or six years,

Lunde said red meat sales have recently started to grow by up to 1% a year, driven by a desire for natural food and young people seeking protein. “We have this workout, fitness, body image trend and these young people need protein so are turning to red meat.” Consumers in Saudi Arabia want high quality cuts of NZ lamb and buy forequarters, French racks, legs and loin, said Mazan Danob. He started buying meat from PPCS in the 1990s and the large food importing company he works for, Almunajen Foods, remains a customer primarily for lamb. It takes up to 5000t a year alongside imported dairy, chicken, frozen foods and seafood. While Saudi Arabia is a key market for chicken, Danob said

BIG FANS: Norwegians love New Zealand lamb, says importer Christian August Lunde. lamb is increasing in popularity where it is traditionally eaten with rice.

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

On climate action, it’s Paris or bust Neal Wallace in Brussels

NEWS

Climate change

EW Zealand would be in breach of its free trade agreement with the European Union if it were to leave the Paris Accord on climate change. That is the view of EU officials who said New Zealand is considered principled on issues such as the environment and human rights, and should it withdraw from the global agreement, questions could be asked. Farm lobby group Groundswell wants NZ to leave, while ACT NZ believes it should withdraw unless more “realistic, affordable, and scientifically-based” targets are established. Compliance with agreements such as the accord are a requirement of the NZ-EU free trade agree agreement, which

became active on May 1 last year. It allowed 99.5% of NZ exports to immediately be duty free while providing additional quotas and lower tariffs. The value of NZ meat exported into the EU increased from $1.15 billion in 2023 to $1.39bn in 2025 while dairy rose from $308.8 million to $442.6m over the same period. New Zealand signed up to the Paris Accord in April 2016 and it requires a 51-55% reduction in emissions below 2005 levels by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050. Officials note there is scope for nuanced changes within the parameters of such global agreements. In response to shifting geopolitical positions, the EU is pursuing policies to provide greater security for defence, energy and food. That reset also involves broadening the range of its trading partnerships, improving

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

economic security and competitiveness and securing sources of critical minerals. It recently concluded an FTA with Indonesia, hopes to make progress with India by the end of this year and is working on Mexico and Australia. It has taken 20 years to negotiate but the EU is close to ratifying an FTA with four Mercosur countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, for deforestation-free agricultural products. Over seven years beef imports of 99,000 tonnes can enter the EU with a 7.5% duty of which 55% will be fresh or chilled meat and the balance frozen. The agreement includes a safeguard clause in case increased beef imports damage or threaten to damage relevant EU sectors, something not part of NZ’s FTA. For some Mercosur dairy products, zero duties will

DEMAND: The value of NZ meat exported into the EU increased from $1.15 billion in 2023 to $1.39bn in 2025. gradually apply within quotas and the agreement will allow 45,000 tonnes of duty-free honey phased-in over five years. In her state of the nation address earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said farmers need fair competition and a level playing field. “This is why we have robust safeguards in our trade deal with Mercosur backed up by funding if compensation is needed.” The EU is also working with

like-minded nations such as NZ to restore the World Trade Organisation and a rule-based global trading system. Any exemption for NZ having to comply with the EU’s deforestation policy is unlikely but simpler compliance could be discussed at a meeting later this year of the Trade Committee. The Deforestation Regulation was to be implemented on January 1 this year but was delayed and will not come into force until the end of 2026.

Creatinggoodness fromthefarms theworldneeds Find out more at silverfernfarmer.co.nz

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

NZ Merino woven into fabric of this UK firm Neal Wallace in Derbyshire, UK

TECHNOLOGY

Food and fibre

HE early industrialists were practical people. When the Smedley family established a knitwear factory in 1784, they were drawn to a site alongside a fast-flowing creek on which a water wheel supplied energy to the factory. Tim Clark, John Smedley Ltd’s technical director, says 241 years later, that heritage remains core to the business as the world’s oldest continuous manufacturer still operating. Today it employs 274 people across two sites with the factory still occupying the same, albeit significantly modified, buildings at Lea Mills, near Matlock in the Peak District, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. One of the original buildings was rented from the family of Florence Nightingale, who is credited with establishing nursing as a profession. The core of its knitwear business is 18.9- to 19-micron Merino wool sourced by The New Zealand Merino Company from 28 South Island properties, a contract that began in 1995-96. These properties adhere to The NZ Merino Company’s ZQRX standard, which includes meeting benchmarks that include sustainability attributes and recognising the interaction between livestock, soil, climate, ecology and community. John Smedley Ltd was established by Thomas Smedley, a lead miner who started wool combing and worsted spinning. Clark told Farmers Weekly that little more is known about

Thomas Smedley, but two of his eight children, John and Isaac, grew what was a cottage industry into a business making and selling knitted hosiery, with John heading the manufacturing in Derbyshire and Isaac a wholesale business selling it in London. It was tough going, and Isaac was declared bankrupt in the early 1800s. However, John not only survived but prospered by selling land and working with new wholesalers. In 1809 he was joined in the business by his son, also named John, who took over in 1827. John Smedley II proved innovative, and began experimenting with Merino wool in 1834. The business focused on knitted

Together with NZ Merino we have a fantastic story to tell and we can build our stories into each other. Tim Clark John Smedley Ltd

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

woollen underwear and one of its best selling items was longlegged underpants known as long johns. Smedley worked 18 hour days and was considered a fair and considerate employer, establishing a hospital for staff. He was also an early adopter of technology such as steam power. By the early 20th century John Smedley Ltd had salesmen and agents promoting its wares throughout the UK, India and much of Asia, South Africa, and the Nordic nations. Today the eighth generation of the family is running the business and what are now its heritage brands. Manufacturing knitwear consists of 35 individual processes and John Smedley’s product list includes jumpers, cardigans, jackets, polo shirts, T-shirts, loungewear, dresses and skirts. Being a heritage brand, Clark

PROCESS: The sewing room at John Smedley Ltd.

TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN: John Smedley Ltd technical director Tim Clark with recently installed knitting machines. requires adherence to the highest environmental standards, such as in the dye and chemicals used, the efficient use of energy, and environmentally sensitive raw materials including buttons. “There is a lot of work that goes into it before we make a garment,” said Clark. “We have to be seen to be doing the right thing and show we are doing the right thing.” The one product they haven’t been able to replace is the polyester thread used to connect garment panels. Reducing their environmental footprint is a priority and that is where greenhouse emissions data provided by NZ Merino’s ZQRX standard is so important. “It shows we are working in the right direction together to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Clark. “Together with NZ Merino we have a fantastic story to tell and we can build our stories into each other.” A typical John Smedley woollen garment produces 7.6kg of carbon, which is 32.5% of the company’s initial target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2033. Before being elevated to King, the then Prince Charles and John Smedley Ltd buried a

wool garment in the grounds of Clarence House, an estate owned by the royal family. Charles was and still is patron of the Campaign for Wool and the test was to promote the fact that wool is biodegradable. Clark said that after 60 days, when they went to dig up the garment, all they could find was the polyester thread. The business received a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II in 2013, an honour that has to be earned. Following her death, they applied for a new warrant from King Charles, which required answering nearly 190 questions on issues such as water and energy use, waste management and employment practices. It was received in 2023 and the company is now seeking a similar warrant from Queen Camilla, which requires answering a similar number of questions. Prince William and Princess Kate are also watching with interest a project involving John Smedley and others in the UK wool industry to educate school children on the value and attributes on the uses of wool. “We have learnt plenty. We have 241 years of history at John Smedley.”

A business built on respect for wool Neal Wallace in Porto, Portugal

MARKETS

Food and fibre

HERE was little doubt about where the interests of Pedro Rola’s father lay. Among the adult calendars hanging on the wall of the Portuguese carpet factory was one depicting various sheep breeds. Each month the current president of the Portugal-based carpet manufacturer Lusotufo would be educated on the attributes and features of a new breed of sheep. The third-generation family business was built on respect for wool. Rola recalled his father would visit

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

farms throughout Portugal and Spain buying their wool to be turned into carpets. The company was started by Rola’s grandfather Manuel Marques Rola in the early 1930s as a hand-made cordage industry, known then as Praça. In late 1935 a rug and carpet factory was established in association with the hand-made cordage industry and traded as Manuel Marques Rola & Filhos. After Rola’s death in 1936, the company was taken on by his sons Álvaro and David.

In 1952 the company was split, with one son taking on the cordage business and the other rugs and carpets. Eight years later, the carpet business began manufacturing tufting carpets, with subsequent investments made to expand the type and variety of carpets manufactured, including both loop and cut pile. These are sold to wholesales. Renamed Lusotufo, in 2001 it added a spinning mill. Today 90% of the mill’s yarn production is wool and of that 50% is from NZ. The yarn is sold to carpet manufacturers. Today Lusotufo is a fully integrated business employing 245 people at its sprawling carpet factory, while its adjacent spinning mill employs 265 people.

TEAM: Lusotufo president Pedro Rola and executive manager Duarte Oliveira in the showroom at the Portuguese carpet factory.

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Served in only the finest establishments... Neal Wallace in Europe

MARKETS

Food and fibre

ROWING numbers of Europe’s rich and famous are eating Lumina Lamb from New Zealand. Alliance Group has recently secured contracts for its specially bred, chicory-finished Lumina-branded lamb with two companies that supply Michelin star and fine-dining restaurants, super yachts and events such as the Cannes Film Festival and Formula One Racing. Reach Food Group supplies about 1000 markets in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Greece, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and Selecta 2500 restaurants throughout Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. Reach Food Group was founded in 2018, and Vennessa Tsui, the company’s commercial director, said it supplies caviar, pork, tuna, lobster, shrimp, Wagyu beef and now Lumina Lamb to discerning customers.

She said those markets require consistently high-quality, uniform-sized product, which Tsui said Lumina Lamb offers. The clientele frequent these fine-dining establishments in different cities and expect to have the same quality produce every time. “We find it is the same group of clientele who like to eat out and travel,” said Tsui. Given those expectations Tsui and procurement manager Mary Curran visited New Zealand to ensure the supply chain met their exacting standards. They said they were taken by the passion and pride of NZ farmers. “They care and they won’t put just anything into the market which is why we have such consistency,” said Tsui. Curran, who has had a career in the UK meat industry, said markets require dependable supplies of consistent quality lamb, something Reach can now provide through this Lumina contract. “Lumina is always available and it is consistent,” she said. Tsui said Reach tends to follow

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

its clients, or what they call super brands, and said there is still opportunity in countries such as France and Dubai. Guido Bruzzo was initially a farmer before seeing an opportunity to supply meat to local fine-dining restaurants. He established Selecta in 1989. He started with Scottish beef and lamb but had to look for new suppliers following the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Bruzzo started working with Alliance in the 1990s seeking specialist lamb cuts and now supplies Lumina Lamb to 2500 of the finest restaurants throughout Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. He said that is provided by the chicory-finished Lumina Lamb, which is enhanced by attributes of being from sustainable, freerange production systems with high animal welfare standards. “In the meat sector, Lumina was

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FINE DINING: Guido Bruzzo of Selecta and Helen Scott, Alliance’s director for the UK and Europe. Selecta is supplying Lumina Lamb.

something different. Our clients tasted the product and like it because of its unique selection.” Helen Scott, Alliance’s director for the UK and Europe, said the chefs love the low melting point of its fat, which gives off a mild aroma and adds to its tenderness. Based in Bellona, Bruzzo said

Lumina Lamb will feature on the menus of many restaurants during the 2027 sailing of the America’s Cup in Naples. Bruzzo employs 220 staff, of whom 120 are in sales, selling about 2600 different items. Meat makes up 28% of what it supplies and fish makes up 30%.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

Age no barrier in Japan’s premium produce market Richard Rennie in Tokyo

MARKETS

Horticulture

N aging demographic and shrinking population may not paint an encouraging picture of Japan as an export destination, but Hawke’s Bay produce company Freshco continues to see growth, margin and opportunity in the country. With apples, buttercup or kabocha squash and cherries Freshco’s main export produce, Japan has been a long-time export customer. It is valued for its consistency and the trust built up over 35 years with Freshco’s Japanese partners. Japan country manager Jessica Tisch said the company’s squash business, comprising 12,000 tonnes a year, tends to fly below the radar back home, given the crop’s niche nature. “Squash is consumed quite differently to how we would eat pumpkin in NZ. It is used as an ingredient, both savoury and sweet, including cooking with a sweet sauce, or sliced in tempura, for example.” Sixteen years ago, the company

formed the Three Good Men brand for its squash marketing. Investment in the brand includes hosting retail buyers in NZ each year and working to develop retail plans. “It has helped build a high level of trust between all parties. After an event like Gabrielle, which took out 50% of the crop, there was a lot of sympathy and understanding from our customers, and efforts to help us manage over a very tough season.”

The opportunity is for us to offer more eating occasions. People are looking for more convenience, like prechopped, pre-peeled fruit. Jessica Tisch Freshco, Japan Freshco’s apple business includes three proprietary brands, early-harvested Breeze, Sonya and Cheekie, a relatively new variety. Japanese consumers have been very much occasion eaters for apples, consuming fruit at the

end of a meal, often at the end of the day. “The opportunity is for us to offer more eating occasions. People are looking for more convenience, like pre-chopped, pre-peeled fruit.” Freshco has been working closely with its in-market processing partner and the ubiquitous 7-Eleven chain in Japan to get apples processed in that way onto shelf. Its apples are now in 20,000 stores nationally, selling in convenient 80g bags for on-the-go eating. “For us it is a win-win solution. The larger fruit are perfect for processing and because the apple is peeled, it is a great value-add sales channel.” On shelf in Tokyo, local apples retail for NZ$3 each, compared to a Freshco offering of four for NZ$5.50, in a smaller size more suited to an older, single-dwelling demographic or families. “Japanese growers are also facing more challenges from climate change, with heat levels higher, and less winter chilling impacting on crops.” Rather than disrupt local growing, Freshco has been working with growers to help improve their techniques in

STANDARDS: Despite Costco’s bulk buying focus, its high standards set the company up well to succeed in other markets, says Freshco’s Jessica Tisch, left, pictured with Japan marketing manager Susie Krieble. Photo: Richard Rennie G O L D E N E X PO RT O P PO RT U N I T I E S I N J A PA N

response to these challenges. “Consumers here like to eat local, and to eat seasonally, so our work really helps to lift the entire market’s prospects,” said Tisch. NZ apple sales to Japan have grown 60% in the past year, with Freshco having about half the market for exports here. Japan’s tough phytosanitary standards have deterred other countries from getting a foothold, but the perseverance of NZ exporters has paid off, she said. “The tariff level under the

CPTPP is also now less than 4%. Zespri paved the way for apples to some extent, increasing consumers’ knowledge of NZ produce, and the nutrient value in our fresh fruit.” Japan’s food retail outlets are complex and fragmented, with stores holding little stock due to space, making direct retail relationships less common, and with good distributor relationships vital for restocking. United States retail giant Costco is a valuable customer for Freshco, with the chain’s bulkbuying focus a popular alternative means of shopping for Japanese consumers more accustomed to small, daily local buying.

Top-end Tokyo develops taste for grass-fed beef Richard Rennie in Tokyo

MARKETS

Sheep and beef

ONSUMER shifts to leaner cuts and growing awareness of the health benefits of grass-fed beef are helping Silver Fern Farms lift sales volumes in the high-value Japanese market. With over 25 years with the company, going right back to its Richmond days, there is little Yas Kato, Silver Fern’s country manager in Tokyo, has not seen. A longtime Tokyo resident, he appreciates the shift he is now witnessing in tastes. “People are increasingly aware of the health implications of eating a fattier Wagyu product, especially as they age,” he said. Wagyu beef has strong cultural connections to Japanese consumers, but they are starting to baulk at both its higher price and higher fat content. Top-end Tokyo supermarket Meidi Ya has A5 grade chilled Wagyu, the highest marbled grade containing about 50% fat, retailing at NZ$17 per 100g. This is alongside Silver Fern Farms grass-fed sirloin in the chiller retailing at nearly half the price.

Japan is a significant market for Silver Fern, among its top three as it is for the entire New Zealand beef sector. Last year the United States accounted for 36% of national beef exports, China 30% and then Japan, well behind at 7%. On a per capita basis Japanese consumers sit well behind the likes of their Korean counterparts, averaging about 8kg of beef per person per year, to Korea’s 14kg. “The impact of price and cost increases has also been significant, both for beef producers here, and for consumers,” Yas said. Taking longer to finish to full fat marbling means Wagyu cattle naturally take longer to rear. But Japan relies heavily upon imported grains and feed, which have had heavy cost increases in the past three years with the yen’s devaluation against the US dollar by 30%. In 2022 Silver Fern experienced the highest ever volume exports to Japan, thanks in part to a shortfall from Australian supply and the ever-increasing cost of local beef. The ensuing high beef prices saw a drop in volumes for 2023 “but we are seeing people getting used to the higher prices. It’s

We are now starting to sell more of it, consumers are more open to the idea, the taste and the price point of it. Yas Kato Silver Fern Farms, Tokyo

CONVERTING: Silver Fern Farms country manager Yas Kato, left, says more Tokyo consumers are sampling grass-fed beef and liking what they taste, particularly with respect to health and price comparisons to traditional Wagyu. G O L D E N E X PO RT O P PO RT U N I T I E S I N J A PA N

widespread with 20,000 items having a 50% increase in price over last year. “For Silver Fern, we are well on track to recover from the slide in 2023.” The shift in the cost of food has taken many Japanese customers by surprise in an economy that had become almost accustomed

to a deflationary environment as the economy had remained moribund for many years since 2000. “The government has tried to get companies to increase wages, but wage increases are struggling to meet those price increases.” Since covid ended, consumers have shifted back to eating out more, with about 80% of Yas’s business coming from restaurants and hotels. “This is not to say there is no further potential in supermarkets.

US beef has been getting more expensive, almost Wagyu-like prices, thanks to the weaker yen.” Tokyo’s consumers are relatively new to grass-fed beef, which has typically been consumed in western Japan in cities like Osaka. “But we are now starting to sell more of it, consumers are more open to the idea, the taste and the price point of it.” With 40 million potential customers in his native city, Yas has developed a comprehensive pitch for interested supermarkets, food service and restaurant companies to engage them with grass-fed beef. “After hearing the selling points and then tasting it, almost 100% describe it as ‘very good’. “In food service we have customers changing to it, on grounds of taste alone.”

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Living and breathing dairy 92 years on Neal Wallace in Laval

MARKETS

Dairy

HE potential new owner of Fonterra’s consumer brands business has not ventured from the dairy industry since its founding in Laval in 1933. Lactalis, which is still based in Laval, a 90-minute train trip west of Paris, was established by André Besnier to produce camembert cheese. It remains a dairy processor 92 years later. Revenue in 2024 was NZ$62 billion, of which 39% came from cheese, 22% from liquid milk, 16% chilled dairy and 12% butter and cream. During a visit to the site by Farmers Weekly in early November, Lactalis managers could not talk specifically about the purchase of Fonterra’s consumer

branded business due to the regulatory approval process currently under way. In October Fonterra shareholders overwhelmingly agreed to sell the co-op’s global consumer and associated businesses, Mainland Group, to Lactalis for $4.22 billion.

The company’s growth strategy has been to buy dairy businesses in different countries but retain local teams to manage them. A Lactalis spokesperson said the company’s growth strategy has been to buy dairy businesses in different countries but retain local teams to manage their brands, production, distribution and retail networks. The world’s largest cheese manufacturing company, it

PRODUCTION LINE: UHT milk on a production line at the Lactalis Vitré factory in western France.

Mons Royale

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

has four international brands: Président, launched in 1968, Galbani, Kraft and Parmalat. It operates 266 processing plants in 51 countries, and its brands are sold in 150 countries. André Besnier’s son Michel took over the business in 1955 and oversaw the company’s first international expansion into the United States, in 1981. On his death in 2000, his son Emmanuel took over as chair and accelerated the international expansion with acquisitions throughout Europe, parts of the Middle East, North and South America, Malaysia and India. That includes a joint venture with Nestlé in selected markets. Today it employs 85,500 people and handles 22.6 billion litres of milk a year. In 2023 Europe generated 53% of its revenue, 31% came from the Americas and 16% from Africa, Asia and the Pacific. In 2024 its Africa, Asia and Pacific businesses collected 3.3 billion litres of milk, which was

MANAGEMENT: Senior factory managers at the Lactalis Vitré factory in France, from left, Nicolas Begoin, the industrial director, and Romain Laforce, the head of operations. processed in 44 production sites, generating revenue of NZ$9.4 billion. Europe collected 12.2 billion litres, which was processed through 156 sites and earned $32.1bn in revenue while the comparable figures for the Americas are 7.3 billion litres handled by 66 sites earning revenue of $20.5bn. One of its plants is at Vitré in Brittany. It employs 420 people

DELIVERY: A milk tanker delivery at the Lactalis Vitré factory in western France.

who process 280 million litres of milk a year into a range of UHT milk and cream products for consumption by everyone from infants to the aged. It is supplied by 450 dairy farmers within a 50km radius who provide milk all year round. Romain Laforce, the head of operations at Vitré, said production peaks in April with flows 15% greater than the average for the remaining 11 months. The composition of protein in milk can increase 20% over winter due to a shift in cow diets to feed with more starch and sugar. The more than 269 million finished products the factory generates are in both bottles, which are manufactured on site, and cardboard bricks. Laforce said UHT milk is popular in France due to its longevity, and is also exported around the world.

Where the world’s best growers meet the world’s leading brands. If you are interested in joining our ZQ community please contact us:

Matt Hand General Manager Global Supply matt.hand@zqmerino.com +64 3 335 0911

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

Kiwi tech helps reinvigorate Illinois farm Neal Wallace in Stockton, Illinois

TECHNOLOGY

On farm

NGUS cattle and a piece of Kiwi ingenuity are helping a North American cropping farming couple adopt regenerative farming principles. Greg and Janis Theron grow crops and farm cattle on 960 hectares of rolling farmland near Stockton in northwest Illinois, about two hours west of Chicago. Alongside corn, wheat, rye, soya beans and barley, they also integrate cover crops and seed mixes for their 160 Angus cows, 22 replacements and up to 60 finishing cattle. The third-generation farmer enjoys working with livestock – and that is where Gallagher’s eShepherd virtual fencing comes into play. About 80ha is pasture and 880ha is tillable for cropping but Theron was uncomfortable with the volume of chemicals

he was using so he adopted a regenerative system that included a greater role for cattle. It fitted Theron’s holistic approach: take care of the soil and it will take care of him. “I see a major role for ruminant livestock in soil management. They are a key, and eShepherd is brilliant, I love it,” he said. Illinois is predominantly a cropping state and has few if any permanent stock-proof fences, which are expensive to build. Previously Theron used Gallagher’s electric fencing system but with a landholding ranging from a few hectares to a few hundred spread across the county, shifting multiple mobs of animals was a time-consuming task.

I like knowing where my cattle are and eShepherd is brilliant. Greg Theron Stockton, Illinois

PRAIRIE ROAM COMPANION: Rising one-year steers and heifers are used to clear weeds under a woodlot on Greg Theron’s Illinois farm, where he uses Gallagher eShepherd to contain them.

RECLAIMED: Dave Heller, left, and Greg Theron look over an area largely reclaimed from scrub and to be used to graze cattle. Theron leases the land from Heller.

TA R I F F S, T R U M P AND THE NEW A M E R I CA

To fully use the cattle manure and natural tilling of their hoofs requires timely shifts when residual cover is not too long or too short. This is possible using virtual fencing. Theron has not tilled his land since 2012, does not use genetically modified seed and grows cover crops to feed the soil and his cattle. Other than low application rates of nitrogen for his corn, he uses no other fertiliser or chemicals, the soil getting all it needs from some dairy manure, diverse seed mixes, crop management and cattle. “The key to regenerative farming is diversity and making sure everything I do is holistic,” Theron told Farmers Weekly. A closed herd means he does not use worm treatment, other than for calves. He is experimenting with the sowing space between corn rows to find the ideal distance to allow cover crops to establish and provide feed for his cattle, which could have additional benefits. “Corn are wimps. It is one of the least tolerant crops. “They say the worst weed for corn is another corn, they hate competition.” All his corn is sold as stock feed and cereals to feed and milling markets. Theron intends increasing his cattle herd and said he could easily double the number, but for his reliance on leased land and the need to install stock water. Natural springs that Theron’s ancestors drained to dry the land to grow crops, are being tapped to provide water for his cattle. Using eShephed’s virtual fencing means from his phone he can manage feed breaks even in inaccessible places, while keep track of each individual animal. “I like knowing where my cattle are and eShepherd is brilliant.” For his prime cattle, Theron targets between 630 and 680kg liveweight at 18 to 22 months, which are sold in autumn to regular customers for which he gets about a 10% premium over current market returns. Theron aims for crop production in the top 10% of the district. His average corn yield is 6340kg/ha (180 bushels/acre) while the best in the district average over 8000kg/ha. Having much lower input costs and premiums earned for some crops due to his regenerative practices, he is more profitable

PLACID: Greg Theron feeds his cattle hay most days. Photos: Neal Wallace now than under a conventional system. His average soya bean yield is 1832kg/ha and wheat 2537kg/ha. Northwest Illinois winters can be cold, with sustained temperatures below 0degC, but summers can be hot, ranging from 17degC to 28degC. The Therons have two children who are forging their own careers so the couple aim to help settle three young farming couples

on the farm and assist them to continue with regenerative practices. “We had some tough years but I think we can help people by telling them the mistakes we made.” Theron doesn’t regret blazing his own path, saying he loves the challenge and at age 68 still bounces out of bed each morning. “If you hit the easy button all the time, you’ll never evolve.”

FINISHING MIX: Greg Theron uses 15 different crops to make a silage mix for finishing cattle.

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

European businesses are built on NZ lamb Neal Wallace in Cologne

MARKETS

Red meat

LONG-TERM buyer of New Zealand meat in the Netherlands hopes the current lift in prices will encourage new generations of farmers onto the land. Lennert Luiten, the managing director of Luiten Food, is among multiple European buyers concerned at the global decline of sheep numbers, including in New Zealand, and he hopes current high prices may help stem or reverse that decline. Luiten said he understands farmers have choices but assures them consumers want NZ lamb. “We hope the current market situation will allow NZ farmers to be more positive about the future so younger generations are happy to take over the family business, to grow their farms instead of selling out.” Luiten is aware of the impact of forestry on NZ sheep numbers. “New Zealand has been important in the development of our business and business is growing and our intention is to keep on growing and we need NZ farmers to do that.” Consumption remains consistent despite higher prices. “There are no signs at the

moment of a major market correction. “We see the market staying pretty strong for the coming year,” he said. Consumers want what he calls “honest meat”, product that matches their values and expectations on animal welfare and environmental management, which he said NZ achieves and which is rewarded with premium prices.

New Zealand has been important in the development of our business, and business is growing. Lennert Luiten Luiten Food Luiten is the third generation to run his family’s 87-year import and distribution business from the village of Stompwijk in the Netherlands. A customer of Silver Fern Farms for 40 years, he sources lamb, mutton, beef, veal and venison, which is sold to customers in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One of its customers is Albert Heijn, a Dutch supermarket chain of about 1000 stores. Luiten initially sought venison from the then PPCS before adding

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

sheepmeat and beef about 20 years ago. Venison still holds a special place. Five years ago Luiten encouraged Albert Heijn to stock NZ venison all year round instead of only during the traditional European game season. Volumes sold have increase four to five fold in the past five years. “That has worked and a lot of consumers want it and know where to find it and are happy with the quality,” he said. Luiten Foods was established in 1938 by his grandfather Leo, servicing what was a very localised market. It was taken over by Lennert’s father, also Leo, and uncle Aad, and is still based in the same village of about 2000 people. Luiten said the business employs 120 people with some spending their whole careers with the company, which still retains those original family values. “It’s what we learnt from the older generations, my grandfather, father and uncle, that you do what you promise, you never walk away.” He started working for the business at age 13, moving to full time after studying at university.

KEEP IT UP: Lennert Luiten, the managing director of Holland-based Luiten Food, hopes current high meat prices will stem falling sheep numbers.

Michael Krasel, from German importer Inter Gusto, said it is crucial younger generations of farmers see a future in farming. “It is important the next generation is motivated for farming so it is important they have stable prices and that there is consistency.” He buys up to 2000 tonnes a year of lamb, beef and venison from SFF, which he supplies to wholesalers and restaurants operating in the German, Austrian and Italian Alps, supplying skiers in winter, hikers in spring and autumn and

summer holidaymakers on the lakes. Krasel, who operates out of Munich, said the Tyrol region alone attracts between 30,000 and 35,000 skiers a day at its peak. One family in the region operates 14 restaurants. That includes Restaurant ice Q, which sits 3048m above sea level and was made famous in the James Bond movie Spectre. Hiking is becoming more popular, said Krasel, with groups keen to be close to nature but not wanting to forgo the luxury of nice meal and drink.

Disruptors starting to mix up food market Neal Wallace in Utrecht

MARKETS

Food and fibre

HE extent at which new-generation weight loss drugs are being used in the United States could reduce its annual grocery spend by about 1%. About 12% of the population, or 30 million people in the US, have tried Ozempic or Wegovy weight loss drugs, with 8.2 million having them prescribed to them as at November 2024. Cyrille Filott, Rabobank’s global strategist for consumer food, packaging and logistics, said there are reports that 5% of people in the United Kingdom are on or have tried the drugs. The medicines reduce the urge to eat, with the daily

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

consumption of calories falling 25-30%. Research by Cornell University shows households where one family member is using one of these drugs spend about 6% less on groceries in the year they are using it. This consists of 11% less spent on snacks and 9% less on fast food. Extrapolating the reduced grocery spend, the Cornell study estimates a 1% annual reduction in grocery spending across the US or a reduction of about NZ$16 billion. “It has the potential to be a game changer for the food industry in terms of the volume and value of food and what consumers are going to buy,” said Filott. The drugs are modified from those used to treat Type 2 Diabetes, which people inject. US officials are currently considering an application for an oral drug, which Filott said could make it more accessible. Such is the impact, scale of

DISRUPTION: Cyrille Filott, Rabobank’s global strategist for consumer food, packaging and logistics, says weight loss drugs have the potential to be a game changer for the food industry in terms of the volume and value of food and what consumers are going to buy. use, and a wider push by the US government to improve the health of Americans, Filott said there could be a material reduction in food consumption. The drug suppresses hunger, reducing the volume of food consumed and encouraging users to consume more nutrient-dense food for health reasons and to

maintain muscle mass. He said demand for nutrientdense and protein-rich foods like yoghurt and meat snacks like jerky have increased along with a taste for fresh produce and nutritional bars. This should benefit sales of whey powder, he said. “This is generally a protein

story and we should see the category growing.” There could also be increased demand for ready meals that satisfy the demand for smaller portion size and contain highquality food. There is another potential food sector disrupter on the horizon, said Filott. The US government is pursuing policies to avert a looming health crisis, dubbed Make America Healthy Again. Filott said Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy is considering policies that could benefit healthy, whole foods. Kennedy supports organics and animal fats and is opposed to ultra processed foods, genetically modified products, the use of artificial fertiliser, oil made from seed and large-scale food producers. Filott said this stance is already having an impact in the US with companies dropping the use of petroleum-based food colouring and replacing oil seed with tallow in deep fryers.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

Farm to feet operation rests on NZ wool Neal Wallace in Aalborg

PEOPLE

Food and fibre

HEY were a formidable team. Nanny Glerups was the creative inspiration and sewer and her late husband Ove the engineer, builder and Gotland sheep breeder. Their patience and trust in each other brought to life handcrafted Glerups 100% wool felt slippers as they constantly pursued the perfect design and production process for what was then still a hobby. For nearly 20 years they tinkered part time in a shed on their farm in northern Denmark, while Nanny worked a physical education teacher and Ove a thatcher and part-time farmer, running a flock of 300 Gotland sheep. “From the beginning I aways had a focus of not working against the wool but working with the wool,” said Nanny. She sought to use wool’s known comfort and temperature control qualities, attributes a growing body of customers also wanted, with orders regularly placed for her to make a pair. Initially she was making only one pair a day, but there was a problem. Nanny found that the attributes of Gotland wool allowed the fibre to move and eventually fall out of the slipper. “Gotland wool is very silky smooth so it moves and works its

way out of the felt,” Nanny said. “It was necessary for me to find another wool to blend with Gotland wool.” That fibre needed to provide grip and they initially found that in wool from the United Kingdom, buying one bale at a time as that was all they could afford. Nanny recalls going to a country fair about that time and getting an order for 200 slippers. Her production capacity had increased to two a day, with much of the process – compressing the fibres together to make the felt – done by hand. It would take 100 days to fill the contract.

From the beginning I always had a focus of not working against the wool but working with the wool. Nanny Glerups Glerups When Ove reached his early 50s, Nanny said, the physical nature of thatching and the risk of climbing around roofs proved too much. Demand for Glerups slippers was growing and in 1993 they decided to turn this hobby into a full-time job. It was still physical work so they contracted a processor to card the wool, but for it to be a viable business, they needed to bring that process in-house. In 1995 Nanny found a carding machine in the UK, built in 1936, and the couple borrowed the

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

equivalent of $13,500 to buy it. Affectionately dubbed The Old Lady, it is still operating today. “The carding machine was very, very good, a big change for us.” With aching shoulders and back from years of physical activity, Nanny remained active in the business, overseeing production and quality control while Ove used his building skills. The difficult decision was made in 2005 to shift manufacturing to Romania due to soaring costs in Denmark. A new factory was built. Production continued to ramp up and the business grew to the point where in 2013 Ove and Nanny’s son Jesper and sales manager Allan Timm bought into the company and took over the day-to-day running. The head office is still at the Glerups farm in repurposed buildings. They started hunting for a reliable and consistent supply of wool, which they found on the other side of the planet, with New Zealand Merino contracted to supply the wool from ZQ certified growers. Timm said it matters that their NZ suppliers have the same family values and relationshipbased approach as Glerups. “Our DNA is ‘two feet in the soil’. We remember where we have come from and what the company was founded on,” he

FIRST STEPS: Nanny Glerups, matriarch of the woollen slipper company, began by making one pair a day of her celebrated footwear. told Farmers Weekly. Respect for people, animals and nature is also part of their DNA, rooted in the approach of Nanny and Ove. Timm said they operate a cradle-to-cradle business where nothing is wasted and for which they have earned international certification. “The certification is proof of what we do, it backs up the facts.” In the early days boxes were reused and nowadays any that are damaged or broken are shredded to create packaging.

Nanny is still involved, experimenting with new environmentally friendly dye. Today the company employs about 100 people, including 65 in Romania and the rest in Denmark. The slippers are sold from Japan and Europe to New Zealand, Canada and the United States, as well as online. Timm said they are in no hurry. “After 30 years we are still only scratching the surface,” he said. “We’re not in a hurry, but we are ambitious.”

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Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Pressures grow for Zespri rethink on China Richard Rennie in Chengdu

NEWS

Horticulture

ESPRI’S recent victory in China in a major plant variety rights case over local orchardists growing its protected G3 SunGold variety also comes at the end of the marketer’s five-year study on where to head with the illegally grown fruit. A grower vote taken back in 2021 rejected proposals to conduct a collaborative marketing trial with Chinese growers in Sichuan to market their fruit under Zespri’s brand to complement NZ fruit sales. Issues causing NZ growers concern included loss of IP and the perceived quality of China-grown fruit. But since then crop volumes have only grown. Now estimated to be up to 7500 hectares throughout China and about 5000ha in Sichuan province, the planted area is closing on New Zealand’s G3 planted area, while estimated production of 41 million trays is comparable to Zespri’s total G3 sales to the market. This is a clear challenge to Zespri’s market share at certain times of the year, and the NZ industry is under pressure to

BETTER: Head of Chengdu Kiwifruit Growers Association Yan Zhiqiang acknowledges China-grown Gold kiwifruit is not as good as Zespri’s but says growers are working hard to lift their game.

We regard Zespri as the gold standard to meet. Yan Zhiqiang Chengdu Kiwifruit Growers Association revisit the vote as the volumes from China continue to rise. Sichuan province, with a population of 94 million, is a key kiwifruit-growing region, comprising about 50,000ha of

which 30,000ha is in Red, and the remainder in Gold, including about 5000ha of G3 and most of the rest as the local Jinyan variety. Zespri’s monitoring project included observing the development of orchard plantings of the illegally imported G3 variety, while also exploring options to ensure fruit quality could be maintained, should a collaboration get the green light. This had included originally identifying 20 orchardists

growing a total of about 1000ha of G3 as possible first candidates to engage with to supply fruit in a collaborative trial. While Zespri is buoyed by the latest court victory, the high cost of such actions could leave the marketer exposed to an expensive game of whack-a-mole, given the sheer volume of plantings now in the ground. On a recent Farmers Weekly visit to the province, local growers were well aware of the court victory awarded to Zespri and believed it may slow, but not stop, continued planting of G3 vines. Yan Zhiqiang is the director of a new packhouse company processing unauthorised G3 fruit alongside local kiwifruit, and also head of the Chengdu Kiwifruit Growers Association. He told Farmers Weekly his growers emulate Zespri standards, often watching videos on orchard techniques and buying trays at retail to sample and compare to their own. “We regard Zespri as the gold standard to meet, and middleclass families in China want to buy Zespri fruit. We know Chinese fruit is not as high quality as Zespri’s, but it is still relatively good.” With the Chinese government recently allowing growers to

FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N CHINA

increase their area in fruit, including kiwifruit, he sees Sichuan province holding plenty of promise for greater areas of Gold and local varieties of Red fruit plantings. He believes Zespri’s Ruby Red now coming into China could be a game-changer for Chinese kiwifruit consumption, particularly among younger consumers. In terms of working under a Zespri label, he said the time is ripe for collaboration. “The Chengdu government is really supporting growers and farmers and the industry. “It has a strong budget and the city is a new ‘First Tier’ city, with local government also supporting Zespri coming to Chengdu.” Regardless of Zespri engagement with local packhouses and growers, the sector is not slowing down on its investment pathway. Investment at a government level includes nine “agripark” sites around Chengdu focusing on research and sector infrastructure.

Rogue growers long to be in Zespri fold Richard Rennie in Chengdu

NEWS

Horticulture

IWIFRUIT orchardists growing the Zespri G3 variety in Sichuan province are keen to have their fruit sold under the label of the company it was taken from. A recent China court ruling has confirmed China’s commitment to upholding its newly boosted plant variety protection rules, with the defendant being fined NZ$1.3 million and ordered to pull out his 260-plus hectares of G3 vines. The grower is appealing the judgement. However, there is tacit acknowledgement within the industry that the cost of taking case-bycase court action rules out ever being able to rein in growers of an estimated 5000ha in Sichuan alone. For local husband-and-wife growers Mr Chen and Miss Xu, obtaining G3 rootstock presented an opportunity to turn their bare 4ha block of heavy soil into a

kiwifruit orchard. Four years on they say they are still learning the intricacies of the crop and are working hard to meet “NZ standard” fruit. “The local Red variety – Donghong – and other local varieties are better suited to this soil. But we wish to continue with G3, in the hope we may be able to supply Zespri with it in the future,” said Miss Xu. Their orchard is one of 20 Zespri included in its recently concluded five-year monitoring and observation programme in the Chengdu region. A key drawcard for the couple wanting to supply Zespri with G3 to meet counter-seasonal supply to complement NZ supply is the premium Zespri fruit gain in the Chinese market. Typically, the difference can be double what local varieties of Gold fruit get per kg, and 30% above the unauthorised local G3 fruit. “But we are also very interested in receiving advice from Zespri on ways to improve our crop and our practices.” They say the G3 is less vulnerable to many diseases than

FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N CHINA

local varieties of kiwifruit. The heavy soils receive organic and chemical fertilisers and approved insecticides. Psa disease does not affect their G3 as it does the local Red variety. They say, however, that a key challenge is fruit dropping off vines just prior to harvest. But they see more upside in G3’s yield potential, harvesting about 37 tonnes of fruit a hectare compared to most NZ orchards’ 45t/ha. To protect fruit and aid ripening, all fruit is bagged on the vine prior to harvest. They say they have generated a “reasonable” profit to date. With their hope of being taken into a collaborative partnership dashed when the 2021 NZ grower vote went against a China production trial, the couple are in something of a holding pattern. “It would depend upon what Zespri was to do for us whether

KEEN: Sichuan orchardist Miss Xu says she and her husband Mr Chen are very keen to continue growing G3 fruit, hoping to collaborate with Zespri to supply out-of-season fruit to complement NZ growers’ produce. we would commit or not,” said Miss Xu. For fellow orchardist Zhang Ping, the incentive for planting G3 several years ago on 3.5ha was the potential for co-operation with its source company Zespri. He closely researched orchard layout and fruit type, opting for Bounty rootstock as better suited to his heavy soil and offering good disease resistance. As an ex-government employee, he has come to orcharding having had enough of office work, and is keen to leave a legacy for his two

children. He said his income from kiwifruit growing is higher than what he made in the government job. Being new to orcharding he found plenty of technical support to help him learn to grow kiwifruit better, and said his biggest challenge is finding workers year round, while labour costs have also risen 15% in the last two years. “Growers are around with lots of expertise, and they are happy to share their information and experience.”

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

China chillers set up for grass-fed cachet Richard Rennie in Shanghai

MARKETS

Red meat

ORK by Silver Fern Farms to declutter supermarket meat chiller space is starting to pay dividends for it and its retailer customers in the company’s key markets throughout China. Dave Courtney, Silver Fern’s chief customer officer, said the “perfect store” layout is now in 120 stores across China, better defining the company’s grass-fed market offerings in what can be a notoriously cluttered display space. “Stores will typically have several different brands of chilled product on offer. We have worked to break down the display space with our retailers to be able to present two grass-fed options to customers to try to cut through the clutter.” Silver Fern works to present its own grass-fed, predominately beef, products, but also provides space for a viable local grass-fed competitor. It is a move appreciated by the retailer who may already have strong ties to a local provider they do not wish to usurp with 100% SFF product. The refined

space is aimed to grow the entire grass-fed category for customers to consider. “They appreciate the fact we are working with them to grow the entire category, not just our own brand.” The display method has also provided a means for SFF to launch its snack-sized hamburgers aimed at busy households seeking a healthy option that includes Fonterra cheese and quality brisket sourced beef.

They appreciate the fact we are working with them to grow the entire category, not just our own brand. Dave Courtney Silver Fern Farms The burgers had a relatively soft launch earlier this year, leveraging off the halo effect the company is generating with its grass-fed promotion. Sales and logistics staff have also worked hard to ensure that what has been promised retailers will be delivered. “And that is ringfenced down to a container level, and even if the option comes up to send it to a higher value market, we

FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N CHINA

remain committed to whatever we undertook to deliver.” Matt Baker, SFF’s head of China Strategy, said there is a growing awareness about the high fat content in the likes of Wagyu meat cuts. “You will find a younger consumer may be keener on a product that has a marbling score of 3, compared to say 9-7.” Meantime the grass-fed products are starting to build a premium that puts them close to those grain-fed products. “That has been happening over the past 12 months, we are seeing values around 100-120RmB (NZ$25-$30) per kg.” SFF has also been working with Freshippo, the Alibaba-owned high-tech, high-end supermarket chain, taking specific cuts from the prime steer programme for high-end, high-value grass-fed retailing. While beef products predominate, Courtney said SFF aims to ultimately include lamb to expand the grass-fed offerings, in a market quite familiar with grass-fed lamb sourced from areas including Inner Mongolia.

DECLUTTERED: Silver Fern Farms account manager Rita Liu and head of China strategy manager Matt Baker, with the company’s latest burger offering in a Shanghai supermarket. The grass-fed angle carries strong health connotations for Chinese consumers with links to sustainability still only starting to be understood. With Fonterra pushing harder on its “grass-fed” message, Courtney said there could be potential for NZ companies to collaborate in coming years across food types on that message. “But it is still only just starting to resonate for consumers.” Courtney acknowledged the tougher environment food producers have faced in China post-covid, with the days of being able to simply ship a container and sell its contents with ease well past. “And in the meantime, the

Grower goes beyond gate with Gold Richard Rennie in Chengdu

NEWS

Horticulture

HE growing popularity of Red and Gold kiwifruit among Chinese consumers is seeing a new generation of Chinese orchardists taking their fruit beyond the farm gate, building brands and marketing campaigns around them. In Sichuan near the provincial capital Chengdu orchardist Wang Yi has leveraged off his organic fertiliser business to develop a 12 hectare orchard planted in Zespri G3. The G3 orchard complements his Red orchard in the neighbouring district. It is also a demonstration orchard used to trial new methods to share among other growers in the district. While Wang has established the orchard, he has also worked on building his own kiwifruit brand, Shang Yi, to market the G3 fruit. “The G3 delivers a 25% lower yield than our local Gold variety

OPPORTUNITY: Sichuan kiwifruit grower and marketer Wang Yi has found a good opportunity with G3 fruit for marketing a high quality, slickly packaged product that appeals to Chinese consumers.

(Jinyan) but it gains a higher price. The local Gold variety’s flavour is not as good as the G3, and locals prefer the G3 fruit, although the G3 is harder to grow.” Chinese G3 tends to be harvested at a higher Brix (sugar)

level, and at 18% dry matter compared to about 15% in NZ. Typically, the local Gold variety will fetch about half what Zespri SunGold fruit are worth, while locally grown G3 sell at about two-thirds of what Zespri SunGold sell for.

While working on his own brand, Wang said he would welcome the opportunity to co-operate with Zespri, given the higher premium the fruit commands with a Zespri label and the esteem it is held in by consumers. He sees the potential to complement Kiwi growers by being able to fill gaps in their offseason supply with his fruit. During a recent Farmers Weekly visit to China the China Daily, the official foreign language media mouthpiece for the Chinese government, reported on Zespri’s successful prosecution of a local grower and distributor in the Wuhan courts for the growing and sale of unauthorised Zespri G3 fruit. The defendant was ordered to pay around NZ$1.3 million in compensation to Zespri and required to pull out 260-plus hectares of G3 fruit. The grower is appealing the judgement. The case’s publicity in the China Daily is significant, with the article signalling the Chinese government’s desire to prove it is following up on stricter plant variety protection laws.

average Chinese consumer has become more sophisticated.” The domestic offering from Chinese producers has also improved significantly. “Fresh domestically processed product can command a higher price. Demand is still growing, but you have to work a lot harder and smarter now. In many respects it’s no different to selling into Europe in terms of expectations and competition.” Initially establishing in China through the Primary Collaboration NZ initiative, in 2019 SFF invested in office space and put 18 of its own staff on the ground. “It’s meant we have more oversight and have also been able to build relationships with retailers here.” FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N CHINA

The government has also ramped up its investment in “agri-park” research and infrastructure facilities in Sichuan province, with an aim to attract more investment, and proof of law enforcement boosts that attraction. Wang said local growers are well aware of the court case and its implications. He said it is likely it could lead to a slowdown in the planting of G3 in Sichuan. But it remains likely that the volume of kiwifruit grown in the province – which has long been a traditional growing area for Gold and Red varieties – will only increase. One packhouse operator confirmed that a previous government policy that would not allow land in Chengdu to be converted from grain crops to kiwifruit has recently been wound back. Along with citrus and blueberries, kiwifruit are now regarded as one of the “big three” fruit likely to attract further investment.

Meeting the Market

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

More upside in low-key trade partner Richard Rennie in Taiwan

MARKETS

Trade

EW Zealand trade commissioner to Taiwan Tina Wilson can proudly point to a solid uptick in export growth between NZ and Taiwan over the past five years. This year marks her last in the post and she leaves with the two countries enjoying solid, if lowkey, trade relations. Both Wilson and her colleague Chris Langley, the director of the NZ Commerce and Industry Office, believe there is plenty more upside in a market that claims the same sized population and GDP as Australia, NZ’s third largest export market. Currently Taiwan is placed ninth, and about two-thirds of the $1.6 billion in trade comprises food. Both countries share an island geography, marked by fault lines and mountains and a native tribal culture, with Taiwan comprising of no fewer

than 16 indigenous tribes. But the similarities end there. Taiwan crams 26 million people on a narrow western coastal strip no wider than 40km, with its sparsely populated eastern coast separated by faulted mountains easily as high as Mount Cook. The two countries’ economies are also almost a reverse image of each other. While NZ generates 80% of its exports from food production, Taiwan has 60% of its exports from computer semiconductor manufacturing. Thanks to the global race for Artificial Intelligence tech, Taiwan is enjoying a surge in its computer tech exports with GDP expected to grow 5% this year. “As a market Taiwan very much follows many of the trends in South Korea and Japan, and that includes a low birth rate, among the lowest in the world, and over the past 16 months its population has started to decline, by 50,000 so far,” said Langley. But that aging population is, like South Korea’s, characterised by “active agers”, senior citizens intent on staying healthy late in life. Good eating and supplements

FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N TA I WA N

are a dietary focus, with Taiwanese consuming the highest amount of fruit and vegetables of any population, at about 400kg per capita a year, of which 120kg is fruit. They are a technically savvy population, value high quality food products and are prepared to pay a premium. Recognition of NZ as a quality source of food is reflected in this country being the No 1 imported dairy source, No 2 for fruit, namely apples and kiwifruit, and No 3 for meat behind the giants of Australia and the United States. Wilson said NZ’s quality position is a bonus, but a hard one to protect in a market where extra premium food items are also retailed for gift and occasion purposes, and lower-end food is very cheap. “It is a good and bad place to be – you are not at the bottom,

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TEAM EFFORT: New Zealand trade commissioner to Taiwan Tina Wilson and Chris Langley, head of the NZ Commerce and Industry Office, believe there remains plenty more upside in NZ’s trade opportunities with Taiwan.

but you can also face a less loyal consumer base.” A challenge for NZ suppliers is keeping stock levels consistent and full in a high-volume, highturnover market that demands rapid restocking. “To keep those consumers loyal, you have to be consistent.” It is an issue reported particularly by meat retailers at a time when NZ’s stock levels are at an historical low point, pinching supply not only for grass market farmers, but export processors.

Langley and Wilson said Zespri has done much to lift its consumer loyalty not only through consistent quality, but now offering kiwifruit all year round, thanks to northern hemisphere supply. The shared indigenous heritage of the two countries could offer a lever to pull for food exporters, but Wilson cautions linking tribal affiliations, quality food and provenance will involve investment and time to educate the market.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 15, 2025

Meeting the Market

Nimble steps in China dairy sector dance Richard Rennie in Shanghai

MARKETS

Dairy

NDORSEMENT at government level of New Zealand’s grass-fed dairy status sets China up well for deeper marketing development in coming years, says Teh-han Chow, Fonterra’s head of Greater China food service. The “grass-fed” term was recognised at a formal ceremony involving NZ and Chinese officials at this year’s Chinese International Import Expo (CIIE), where a Fernmark logo to support the NZ grass-fed standard was launched. “The recognition is important at a consumer level as much as an official level as consumers here will value what the government is endorsing as a positive. “They see ‘grass fed’ also implies ‘blue sky’ and ‘happy cows’. It is a natural, pristine environment to farm in. If grass is natural, then the environment is too.” Meantime, 400 different applications a year are being

developed for using Fonterra products in the food service sector. But pressure remains on Fonterra to double down even more in a highly competitive market, working alongside customer companies with specific applications of Fonterra products. “We now have six application centres across China, with Wuhan being the newest, and have plans for more. It is proving a very solid model for embedding our products with client companies.” He sees the model also being applied more broadly across southeast Asian countries. The Chinese market is more dynamic than ever despite an easing in economic growth, demanding a rapid response to shifts in consumer tastes and preferences. The beverage market highlights this. Bubble tea became a drink trend over six years ago, boosting demand for milk ingredients, which are often used as toppings. Now coffee has surged in popularity, a market estimated to be worth US$20 billion this year with growth forecasts as high as US$30bn by 2032. “While not selling liquid milk, the opportunity now is to sell

They appreciate knowing their product is turning up and is going to work as it should, every time. Richard Allen Fonterra

MULTIPLE: Fonterra’s head of Greater China food service, Teh-han Chow, says the company’s application centres are now working on 400 new uses for Fonterra products every year.

FOOD AND S E C U R I TY I N CHINA

cream products that are added to coffee in many different flavours.” Fonterra’s decision to retain the Anchor brand in greater China is based on the shared recognition the brand has across

both consumer and food service sectors in the market. “We have spent a lot of time and money developing the food service around the Anchor brand, and the Anchor brand now has a very strong halo effect in the food service sector. It adds a premium quality link to customers’ final products.” Richard Allen, Fonterra’s head of global ingredients, said the

company’s ability to leverage scale, logistics and varying bulk products is proving invaluable to customers in the volatile world of global bulk dairy. “They appreciate knowing their product is turning up and is going to work as it should, every time.” He said the strong growth experienced in protein ingredient demand in markets like Taiwan, Japan, Europe and the United States is still due to strongly lift off in China. “We are still seeing a strong interest in fats across both food service and ingredients channels in China. “It is about improving flavour, texture enhancement. For example, the addition of butter improves a product’s desirability, compared to one that uses vegetable fats.”

Kiwifruit flourishing in northern Greece Reliable weather has not Neal Wallace in Thessaloniki, Greece required vines to be covered

MARKETS

Horticulture

T’S the farmer’s curse wherever in the world you are: it doesn’t rain for weeks but chucks it down when you least want it. So it was for Greek kiwifruit grower Kostas Kallitsis last month. He was relieved after two days of rain to get a team of pickers back into his 9.5 hectare crop of Green kiwifruit. His Katerini orchard sits south of Thessaloniki, between the Thracian Sea and Olympus mountains in northern Greece. His family has been growing kiwifruit since 1987 and he supplies Zespri. In 2018 he was one of the first to trial Zespri SunGold. Such was its success, yielding about 50t/ha, he has approval to plant 2ha next year, and hopes to eventually grow 3ha. His oldest Green vines were on track to yield 25/t a hectare this year, slightly back on the regional average of 30t/ha and what he has produced in recent years. The fruit is also slightly smaller than last year, but the average Brix is 7.5%.

but Kallitsis said the climate is changing, with more heavy weather events, so he will cover his commercial SunGold crop. Winters can be cold in Katerini, with 1000 to 1200 chilling hours, which Kallitsis said is ideal for Green and will also suit SunGold. The soil is 60% sand, 40% silt and 1.5% organic matter. “It’s not the best in Greece, but it’s pretty decent,” he said. The region has a history of growing apples, olives, grapes, arable crops and vegetables with kiwifruit grown for 40 years, the longest in Greece. The 36-year-old also grows strawberries and table grapes. Irrigation comes from bores and Kallitsis said local authorities are starting to impose restrictions on its use. It is unclear what that will mean for his orchard. Like many other European Green kiwifruit growers, Kallitsis is a supplier to both Zespri and other markets. To supply Zespri, he is required to adhere to the same quality control standards and monitoring as growers in New Zealand, with Zespri taking only his very best fruit.

Twelve years ago, prior to supplying Zespri with Green kiwifruit, he was receiving about €30-40c/kg. Now it is about €1.10/ kg. Interest in growing kiwifruit, especially SunGold, is reflected in demand for land in Katerini, with suitable bare land selling for €30,000 to €40,000/ha. It costs another €50,000/ha to establish an orchard. Nikos Adamidis has one of Greece’s oldest kiwifruit orchards, established in 1984 when his father replaced an apple orchard. Today Nikos Adamidis grows about 12ha of Green kiwifruit in Katerini, which stems from his father’s decision to grow something new. While continuing to grow Green kiwifruit, next year he plans to increase a 0.3ha trial of SunGold by replacing 3ha of Green. Adamidis may have only been a Zespri supplier since 2019, but he is devoted to the New Zealand company, saying it provides security and technical support, and helps him manage fruit quality and the timing of harvesting. SunGold knits perfectly with his orchard management, the maturing and harvesting patterns

GROWING QUALITY: Greek kiwifruit grower Kostas Kallitsis and Iasonas Zacharis, Zespri orchard programmes specialist, inspect a Green crop in Kallitsis’ orchard. of the two varieties being complementary and allowing better use of infrastructure and labour. SunGold is harvested in September, a month earlier than Green, and the trial has shown the variety to be extremely reliable, hardy and easy to manage. “It’s easy to manage the quality and reach harvest specifications if you follow the technical advice.” His Green crop averages about 30t/ha and SunGold 40t/ha. It also helps that Zespri pays more for the fruit that meets its standards than other markets, he said. Thessaloniki packhouse Proto Fruit was established in 1928 as a wholesaler by Nikos

E U RO P E’S CHANGING LA N D S CA P E

Protofanousi’s grandfather and now the third generation is getting ready to take over – his sons John and Alex. Each year the packhouse handles 24,000 tonnes of kiwifruit, 11,000 tonnes of cherries and 1500 tonnes of grapes. Export director Manolis Anastasiadis said kiwifruit comes from throughout Greece, including Zespri, and is exported throughout much of the world but primarily to Europe, the United States, Canada, the Middle East, South Africa, Asia and Brazil.