New Zealand farmers have had a side-swipe at British butter again. They have called on former Sex Pistol John Lydon, who fronts the Country Life butter campaign in the UK, to visit them to see how NZ butter is produced. In the invite they claimed that NZ milk is produced from "GM-free grass". It's implicit that we have some form of GM grazing.

How can they make such spurious claims?

What are your views on this?  

What should we do to counter this?

 

A cheap publicity stunt by a industry up to its neck in commodity product that nobody wants or something more symptomatic of a deeper rooted insecurity over their rather precarious long term position in an unforgiving world market? 

It is a rather unpleasant hallmark of the insecure that not satisfied with promoting themselves, they  feel the need to undermine, often without cause or substance, the qualities of others. It's known as 'small man' syndrome or in this case 'small country' syndrome and it's the least attractive side of the Kiwi character coming out . Chippy, resentful tirades whenever the rather shaky foundations of their self-promoted aura of invincibility,  around those things they usually do quite well, is exposed. Anyone who's listened to a post-defeat interview with an All-Black coach or captain will know exactly what I mean.

Granted, they're struggling like never before in the current world market, but they have been instrumental in creating the situation they face and now, in a vain attempt to shore up flagging sales, appear to have little left in their, supposedly world class, marketing armoury than to resort to a dirty tricks campaign to undermine consumer confidence in the domestic offering of one of their key export markets.

The world dairy market is and always will be a marginal one, prone to violent swings in commodity prices in response to relatively modest movements in world supply and demand. No-one is more aware of and exposed to this than New Zealand, yet they have with no small degree of  hubris, increased production massively over the past decade. Well their bubble has well and truly  burst and this is a rather unfortunate yet predictable reaction to it. They really ought to know better, given that history shows that smear campaigns over the safety and quality of food only serve to undermine the whole market....playing with fire methinks.

 Given the price of lamb.I bet they wish they'd kept a few more sheep now!

I understand the negative thoughts of many British farmers at the way in which NZ farmers have 'attacked' British farming products. However, in my mind these feelings fade into the background when I consider the shame I feel in the way in which Britain has treated NZ and the former old commonwealth. To do, as we do, treat those countries who fought a world war on our behalf, as of lesser status to our former enemies is disgraceful.

I may be old fashioned, but it is surely honourable to give preference to those who laid their lives on the line for you. For years we have given preference to our so-called European Partners and discriminated against NZ products and people. OUR actions are shameful in this regards and, whilst not justifying their actions, I consider that we should first consider our own shame.

Lay off the New Zealanders, but if we have to direct spleen somewhere, let it be better directed at those continental countries that connive at the destruction of British Agriculture, Manufacture and now, Banking.

It's a pity they feel the need to imply untrue things about UK milk production, but you can be sure any press or consumers coming to the NFU about this will be set straight about "GM-free grass".

I think we can be confident that most consumers see the value of supporting their own farmers and the benefit that brings to the countryside, as well as having an affordable supply of quality, assured produce. I can't imagine anyone thinks importing a product from the other side of the world is a good idea if we can produce it here to assured standards.

Have you seen the page ads that Countrylife has hit back with?

http://www.fwi.co.uk/blogs/rural-life/2009/05/the-contents-of-newspapers-is.html

The point of the ads is to make it clear that Anchor Butter is from New Zealand. Farmers obviously know that - but, according to the ad, 39% of people who buy Anchor think it's British. Basically it's saying if you prefer to buy British and want to support British farmers, then opt for Country Life not Anchor.

 Is that a direct quote from the soil assosiation website or have the Kiwis just started using the same marketing man

Peter Wells:

Lay off the New Zealanders

I doubt there are too many kiwis who would appreciate being patronised in this way. 

They, and other commonwealth countries, have and continue to enjoy preferential treatment as global trading partners, in a number of key agricultural markets,  with the UK,(the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement  being a good example) and this access to our market is often at the expense  of domestic producers, who are also descended from those who made the ultimate sacrifice to maintain our freedom and who continue to contribute to our economy. As New Zealand slowly but inevitably becomes more culturally distanced from the UK and the cries of the republicans grow ever louder, our paternalistic obligations to them surely diminish;  despite the fact that we still seem to employ pretty much every Kiwi between the ages of 17 and 30!

They are the first ones to crow about their wonderful, low cost, world beating dairy industry. Perhaps we should we now to add the postscript ...'provided they can keep selling their product to the 'old country' without any real competition'. There is a finite market for what they produce, however cheaply, and they've overcooked it. Trying to dig themselves out of a hole with essentially libelous insinuations about UK production methods is a tad disingenuous and  does a proud nation a disservice.

I have a great deal of admiration for New Zealand agriculture and it achievements in the face of huge geographical and political challenges; and an equally profound respect for their historic loyalty and support in times of crisis. That however does not afford them the right to behave like spoiled children if we in the UK presume to market our own products to our own consumers. Whose market is it anyway? 

And before we get too hung up on Euro-conspiracy theories and anti-British agendas, we might like to remember that membership of the EU stopped UK agriculture from being sold down the river long ago, by the very party that the vast majority of farmers unswervingly support. When it comes to thinly veiled contempt for farmers, you would have to go a long way to find a better example than Mrs Thatcher. However uncomfortable  we might find the relationship with our  European 'partners', we'd all be eatng a lot more Anchor if it wasn't for them and their conniving little ways.

 

 

These ads have been running for a while haven't they? I don't think its necesarily hitting back at NZ.

I saw it in the Metro last Friday and I thought that's what the NZ farmers response was all about - maybe DC have gone with them again this week to keep the momentum going.

Still, funny adverts - i was reading over someone's shoulder on a train and actually thought it was a headline in the paper, so its very effective!

Are any GM grass varieties for grazing being grown here? Or in Europe for that matter?

(This is just the sort of argument which gives a lot of points to Alex Salmond and the SNP Government if it should bear fruit. ( I am a supporter of GM )).

devils avocate you are certainly living up to your billing !!! Just to say i think your wrong.i think your thesis is wrong.  i think your the the one with a chip on your shoulder and if there was proper free trade they would out market out sell and out produce most farmers in the UK i only wish i had have the drive the sprit to succed in difficult curcumstances as they do. they have had to find ways to thrive and survive in a non subsised country whist us in the subsised north have failed on both counts in most counts whilst many trade barriers are still their to protect us. 

If you read what I said, I have great, yet clearly grudging, admiration for their achievements and would not deny for one moment that they have one of the most efficient low cost milk production systems in the world; and in Fonterra a truly world class marketing organisation. However the fact remains increasing milk production by 50% in 12 years, has hugely increased their exposure to a volatile commodity market, especially given many NZ dairy farmers have significantly increased there fixed cost base chasing a short lived rise in that market. Without the safeguard of a portfolio of truly global brands, that strategy has subsequently been exposed as rather risky. Being the lowest cost producer is little comfort when you oversupply a marginal market that you need to absorb 90% of your output.

Whatever the philosophical rights or wrongs of  agricultural trade barriers, they are and will continue to be a political reality for some time yet. If that's a chip on my shoulder then I can live with it. Yes, they're extremely efficient milk producers, but they can't ignore basic principles of economics. Greed and hubris are not the exclusive domain of  bankers....or MPs.

 And getting back to the original topic, there is nothing remotely admirable or professional in making  untrue and unsubstantiated insinuations about how we in the 'subsidised north' produce our food.

can we actually say in this country there is no GM food going into our cows.? May i also suggest The new Zealanders are not the only country to increase production United states India china and last spring europe.the only difference is new zealand has no subsidy fall back postion like all the other countries mentioned So yes they are vunerable but that also means they will defend market share in ways you might find unexceptable.

             As far as I can make out it is Countrylife's success that has riled the New Zealanders and prompted this rather feisty reply from the flip side. Following a similiar grassland "quality" claim from New Zealand which was an issue in an FWispace thread some time ago, I really think we must rise above throwing insults either way and promote our own strenghs of which we have many.

             With regards to the advertisement wars, I think that Countylife seem well able to handle this situation.

             For my part, I stick to the theory of never rubbishing the opposition.  As the Devil's Advocate said:.......".smear campaigns over the safety and quality of food only serve to undermine the whole market...."

Another thing that seems to get overlooked in these Anchor controversies is that here in the UK Anchor is an Arla brand.  Presumably it is they who commission the advertising and PR from a London agency.  Who knows where the ides come from or even whether the Kiwi farmers reaction was orchestrated by Arla or its PR agency.

It is interesting to see this topic coming up and as a sheep and arable farmer looking over the fence at the dairy farmers, I can only say that I am pleased that I was not tempted to convert to dairy as alot of our neighbours have done, with million dollar mortgages into the bargain.

We had heard of the Countrylife ad. campaign and wondered if the aged "sex Pistol" would get much traction, but I would say in excess of 90% of Dairy Farmers would be unaware of any counter action taken by Fonterra and the inference of GE free grass would be considered laughable if it was taken seriously.

As far as the increase in prodution is concerned I would quess that close to 100% of that production is in milk powder (in vaious forms and goes into Asian markets ) and butter production is on the decrease.

As far as the Dairy farmers themslves are concerned they are hurting financially at the moment because of incorrect market signals relayed to them by Fonterra over the past season,pretty much as has happened to all dairy producers around the worldby there respective Companies. However NZ dairy farmers are still going to receive their 3rd highest payout on record so it is hard to understand what the depression is about.

Most dairy farmers are production focused and do not worry to much about pasted the farm gate,and are quite happy to leave this to Fonterra to look after. Looking at the thread that is being discussed futher up the list British Dairy farmers would be quite happy to have a "Fonterra" looking after their interests in such a successful way as well    

alidownunder,

  I am sure what you say is correct and your analogy that Fonterra style Marketing would be of great benefit to the UK Dairy Industry is something that I have witnessed and on another thread here have advised.I should think the problem for the NZ produced Butter against the UK produced product is the fall in the value of the £.This has helped British Agriculture and Industry more than Advertising or rubbish Quango's telling Farmers how to be Sustainable or Organic etc.New Zealand used to buy huge quantities of Manufactured Goods from the UK but when Socialism and Egalitarian views overtook Common Sense Economics here the quality of our products failed and the Firms just gave up the Ghost and either sold out or went out of Business.We now have some catching up to do and Manufacturing and Agriculture will have to be the Workhorse to do this.