<p><strong>Synopsis</strong></p>
<p>Sam McIvor, CEO of Beef + Lamb NZ, covered off the sheep and beef industry&rsquo;s perspectives in this area. He highlighted that farmers have made significant changes over the past decades and that since 1990 GHGs from sheep and beef farms have decreased by 19%. The focus has also changed from frozen carcasses to a range of specific cuts being shipped all over the world. It is possible that the industry will hit a 30% reduction by 2030, but how are they futureproofing this? They have been investing in the PGgRc since 2003 and have a strong focus on increasing productivity. Sam considered that it would be pragmatic to keep the sheep and beef sector out of the ETS. He suggested that the government should go for the &lsquo;easy wins&rsquo; at this point, such as electric cars and planting more trees. Farming is important and we should look for solutions, but we shouldn&rsquo;t &lsquo;kill the golden goose&rsquo;. NZ is efficient at producing food and, if we don&rsquo;t do it, other countries that are less efficient will fill the gap. The sector needs to be profitable as &lsquo;it&rsquo;s hard to be green when you&rsquo;re in the red&rsquo;. Sam highlighted a point raised by the PCE earlier in the morning, in that farmers could be incentivised to plant more trees. The areas that they get credit for currently have to be quite big. Beef + Lamb NZ have been out to their farmers recently to hear their stories. Sam reminded the audience that farmers are the stewards of the land and they understand that &ldquo;if I look after the land, it will look after me&rdquo;. The scientists and policymakers seeking change need to understand farmers. There needs to be clear market signals that if they make a change, it will get the desired effect. Also to allow farmers to try things and then scale up. No farmers are the same and there are a range of approaches to GHGs from different farms. Sam ended with a caution not to load change with cost. Farm working expenses have gone up, sheep and beef costs have gone up and profits have stayed flat. If changes are loaded with administrative costs and effort, it will not make them attractive options to implement.</p>
<p><strong>About Sam</strong></p>
<p>Sam McIvor took over the role of CEO of Beef + Lamb New Zealand in April 2016.</p>
<p>Sam is a chief executive with extensive experience in the New Zealand food and agribusiness sector.</p>
<p>He has held CEO roles with New Zealand Pork and Preston Corp Ltd and he has led strategy development and implementation in senior manager and consulting roles with Ospri and Lincoln University.</p>
<p>Sam&rsquo;s experience in the food and agribusiness sector value chain encompasses research and development, production, processing/manufacturing, new product and new business development, logistics, distribution, wholesaling and retailing, including franchise management.</p>
<p>He has comprehensive stakeholder management experience including issues management and building partnerships at both an organisational and industry level.</p>
<p>Sam has board governance experience, serving on private sector, industry good, research and development and not for profit entities.</p>
<p>Sam grew up on a sheep and beef farm and holds a Bachelor of Agriculture and an Executive Master of Business Administration from Massey University.</p>
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