Quick facts

Forty-nine percent of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture.
At the same time, more than 38% of New Zealand's merchandisable exports come from agriculture. 
Total New Zealand deer numbers (at 30 June 2015) exceed 907,000
Venison exports total 14,869 tonnes (at September 2015)

What's changed in the beef & sheep sectors since 1990 in on farm practices?
Beef

Reduction in breeding herd numbers
Increased number of finishing cattle - use of dairy origin animals for finishing
Feed management strategies
Pasture management strategies

Sheep

Breeding and flock testing for animals with improved genetic merit (gorwth, reproduction)
Use of pregnancy scanning
Hogget mating
Pasture management (growth quality)
Optimisation of stock numbers to pasture growth

What's the impact of these on farm changes on productivity?
Beef

Faster growth rates
Increased finished weight of animal
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha) 

Sheep

Increased lambing percentage
Increased number of offspring per ewe
Increased finished weight of animal (lamb)
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha)

What's the effect of these changes on emissions intensity? 
Emissions intensity of New Zealand beef and sheep sector is lower.  For the beef sector, a great proportion of feed goes to production rather than maintenance and for the sheep sector, a lower ewe population is producing the equivalent lamb meat.
What's the latest from industry?
Beef+Lamb New Zealand Read more
On farm practice change summary tables



On farm practice
Effect on farm productivity
Effect on emissions intensity (net)



Increased carcass weights
Shorter time to slaughter


Increased finished weight of animal 
 
Increased meat yield per hectare (kg meat/ha) 
 


Lower
 
* Greater proportion of feed goes to production rather than maintenance *