New Zealand Game Industry Board Delivers DeRegulation Plan to Government

11/13/1998

Background

Since its inception only 30 years ago, the New Zealand Deer Industry has been at the leading edge of innovation. Not only domesticating one of the world’s most efficient pastoral animals, but developing quality systems spanning from pasture to plate and establishing a world first in the red meat appellation, Cervena®, which is now one of the best recognised red meat brands in the world’s most demanding market, the USA.

The Industry’s prodigious growth has reached a new phase with very considerable latent breeding capacity in a national herd of 1.8 million animals. To drive this growth, new markets for both venison and velvet must be created, with the latter product having suffered very considerably with the financial problems in Korea which historically has been the main market.

The Industry is positive about its future, seeing the product attributes of wellness and the appeal of both venison and velvet to fashion conscious new generation consumers being very marketable features.

Producers are however looking for more stability in returns and better unity from the Industry as a whole about achieving their future goals. It sees the progress it has made with Quality Assurance through the DeerQA scheme and the Cervena appellation as being important foundations upon which to build future business in new geographical markets and in new market segments.

The NZ Game Industry Board

Much of the drive and innovation of the Industry over the past 15 years has been from the main Industry organisation, the Game Industry Board which was set up in 1985. The Board is charged with the "orderly development of the deer industry" and the "orderly marketing of deer products".

The Board’s function includes the provision of a secretarial and information service to the Industry, involving information and data management, market access services and strategy development. More recently it has been developing a Website which will be launched later this year.

The Board has also played an active role in the generic promotion of venison and velvet in both current and new markets, and this work is ongoing. It has also coordinated research and development for both venison and velvet with the work involved in characterising and measuring the efficacy of velvet being particularly important for the future.

It conceived and developed the Cervena® programme, which reached its 5th Anniversary this year and put in place the DeerQA scheme which would be the most comprehensive in the pastoral sector.

Deregulation

The Deer Industry is traditionally very consultative and the Board spends considerable time both in meetings and in various other consultative forums, seeking a mandate for new initiatives.

Deregulation has been no exception, and since receiving Governments’ deregulation announcement the Board has held a series of producer meetings throughout the country and mailed out a detailed questionnaire on deregulation to all known deer farmers.

In essence the game industry has started to undertake what will be a graduated self deregulation process, with a number of the more commercial initiatives being moved into a stand-alone phase; and with a strong farmer mandate for the continuation of centralised services, the co-ordination of R&D and a level of generic promotion on behalf and with all exporters.

There will now be a further consultative process, which will take place over the next six months. The GIB will seek support for the Cervena® programme being transitioned through to ‘stand alone’ status, and more feedback on the degree to which DeerQA can become a user pays programme. These initiatives can be carried out under existing legislation within a reasonable transition period.

Feedback to date from over 20% of producers has strongly supported a continuation of the Board’s mandate to represent the Industry – and to continue to oversee its orderly development and the orderly marketing of its products.

The Game Industry Board was the first of the Boards to deliver their Deregulation Planning Document to Government. It was presented on Wednesday 11 November 1998, four days before the deadline.

RGM ChristieChief Executive

For further details contact: Rick Christie, Chief Executive Ph: 64 4 473 4500 or Fx: 64 4 472 5549