New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP) member business registrations have more than doubled over the past year.
More than 8000 farm businesses are now signed up to the programme together with growing numbers of red meat and wool companies, the NZ Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI) reported at its annual meeting in Wellington.
Chair Nicky Beeby says the number of NZFAP-registered suppliers has grown by more than 700 and the number of member businesses has more than doubled with more than 40 red meat and wool companies and industry organisations working together for the good of the primary sector.
“That can only be a good thing,” Beeby says.
“That’s important because the opportunities and challenges we face as a sector are far greater than any one organisation can do by themselves.”
A priority over the past year has been to engage with the wider wool and dairy sectors to grow membership and cover a wider number of farmers and animals.
“It has been rewarding to see 23 wool companies seek and gain membership over the year.
“Ultimately, NZFAI is delivering; we are increasing the number of registered farmers and reducing duplication, the number of audits and costs across the industry,” Beeby says.
Other priorities are ensuring all the programme standards are fit for purpose and future-proofed with the latest version of the NZFAP rolled out in October and the new voluntary on-farm standard NZFAP Plus going live.
“We now have an independently audited standard which ensures we are future focused and that our farmers and meat companies can be recognised as global leaders in the growing conscious consumerism trend,” NZFAI general manager Megan Mounsey-Smith says.
“In a recent Beef and Lamb NZ survey of 500 farmers, 38% indicated interest in becoming NZFAP Plus certified, so the opportunity is significant.”
A programme is also due to get underway to digitise the organisation’s assurance process to ensure seamless transfer of data across supply chains.
“Being future-focused is not just about the standards, but about how we collect and receive supporting audit evidence making the process as easy as possible for farmers and auditors and ensuring our members can extract as much value from the market as possible.”
Work to raise the profile of NZFAI with farmers has also proven successful.
A recent survey found 71% were aware of NZFAP.
