It was wonderful to meet Peter and Sharon although not for long as they had to head back to Oz. Peter and Sharon have been based in Bahrain for the last 5 years and have worked beyond that also to successfully improve the animal welfare of Australian sheep. They are such kind wonderful people and absolute champions of the live export industry. Australian farmers should be truly grateful for the really hard work they do here.

Spend the rest of the time with the very funny David Kerr. David was until a few years ago the manager of the Wellard’s Baldivis feedlot, head stock buyer and middle east marketing manager. David held this job for well over 25 years and I cant imagine the regular stress he would have had to go through to make sure he had enough sheep to load a boat. His record for loading a boat was 72,000 sheep in 12 hours.

David took us to the BLC feedlot and slaughterhouse. A really smart and efficient operation and the sheep are taken care of so well.

David, the Dundons and BLC have been very busy over the last few months getting the supply chain (ESCAS) guidelines in place to ensure all feedlots and slaughterhouses that receive Australian sheep are approved and registered. Importantly, these guidelines are essential to ensure NO ‘leakage’ i.e. All Australian sheep are fully traceable from arrival in the middle east to slaughter. End of March is now the deadline to have Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Turkey all registered with Jordan following later in the year.

The Haj and Ramadan are important religious occasions for all Muslims – wont go into the details of them just to say that during this time ritual slaughter is part of the process. The new guidelines mean that for the first time this year Muslims can no longer buy Australian sheep from the feedlots and slaughter them in front of their family’s at home. They will of course be able to buy and slaughter sheep from Sudan, Georgia etc. but the demand is still strong for Australian sheep. So BLC are prepared for this and will allow customers (even out of these times) to come and select a live animal and see it slaughtered and take it straight home. During the Haj over 2 million sheep are slaughtered. The new rules being imposed by Australia will significantly affect this traditional ritual slaughter process.

The demand is for fresh meat- literally 2 hours post slaughter- its cut up and cooking started. They really like warm meat and associate it with freshness. MLA are undertaking education programs to highlight that chilling and even freezing still means great meat. I think these programs are essential into the future. When Peter and Sharon first came to the region up to 8 years ago- there was no whole chilled carcasses being sold into the region. Now it’s a 50:50 of live vs. chilled whole and boxed cuts. If live export were to fall away- there would certainly be an increased demand for chilled whole carcases but there wouldn’t be a 100% substitution with Australian product because they can get chilled product from other countries such as Sudan. This is why we mustn’t be complacent.

Ive said in the past that the demand here is for small carcases- it is only for whole carcases purchased by consumers. Here in the gulf countries that receive subsidised live Australian sheep (Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait)- the demand comes from the wholesalers for as large a carcass as possible. This is then cut down into small portions that are stewed. Why large carcases- simply because they buy and sell on weight. The wholesaler buys the carcass for around $250/h which included the transport to the gulf and they sell it for $1 Bahraini Dinar/kg. The shortfall is paid to them by the government.

Another fun outing with David was a visit to the Bahraini version of the Royal Agricultural Show. Held at the Sheik/Princes horse stables and training area which was magnificent. Saw so many different kinds of sheep- some looked like goats to me. I absolutely loved the Nejdi- a purebred line that is bred by the Saudi royal family. These black and white sheep are huge and fetch a pretty penny. To me they look like something that belongs in a Star Wars movie but secretly I would love to have some of these running around our place:)

Bahrain was a great place to visit. Slight taint was Al and I being detained on arrival under suspicion of being journalists. You may have heard there have been a number of protests in Bahrain lately- similar economic drivers to those protests we have seen in a number of countries in the middle east over the last 18 months. In this case- a Sunni royal family and majority government but the vast majority of the population are Shiites living in poverty. No drama in the end-  got through and really enjoyed our time there.

Were now in Dubai for a few days and on the countdown to home. Meeting the head of DAFF (Our Federal Dept of Ag, food and fisheries) here in the Middle East and visiting the International Centre for Biosaline Agricultural Research. Possibly also a day with a large meat importer- the people I met way back in my first blog from Dubai. Were staying in a great hotel- right next door to the Mall of Emirates- one of the 3 large malls. Absolutely amazing shopping- I just wish I could find someone to play golf with Al so I can go shopping.

We arrived at Petra around 7am and it was so nice and quiet. Its quite a trek into Petra- we started on horses and walked the rest through a very long canyon- only one way in to Petra and one way out. The long walk really enabled suspense to build up. When we towards the end of the canyon and Petra started to come into view- it was truly a spine-tingling moment. Its such an imposing impressive structure. Have loads of photos below including some of Petra as it started to come into view. Beyond Petra there were so many other carved out structures, including a roman theatre and a monastary. We had to walk up 900 steps to get to the Monastery but it was so worth it. Lots of pictures.

Yesterday we left Israel and headed to Petra via the Dead Sea. Did you know that the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth- 400m below sea level. Its true though- you do float (although I was sinking a bit cause ive turned into a little fatty on this trip)! Its sooo salty yes- dare not rub your eye or accidentally swallow any. No problems when your in the water but once you got out and dry off- it really started to itch- like crazy.

Today we also went for a 4wd tour of Wadi Run- the very beautiful Jordanian desert area which borders with Saudi Arabia. Some pictures there also.

Were now in Aqaba in the most amazing Hotel- Kempinski Resort Aqaba- which has its own private beach on the Red Sea! Part of the bribe to get Al to come away with me. Nice and warm during the day so im sure lots of time at beach. I do have some abattoir work to do whilst here which is going to be tough. Right across the harbor you can see Eliat-Israel and the Sinai Peninsular-Egypt.

We then went into Jerusalem and visited the Mount of Olive where we got a great view of the Old City which is surrounded by a large wall. The old city- what an amazing place- so many little cobble-stone streets to walk down and explore and SO much history. Here we got to walk the walk Jesus took when carrying the cross leading to his crucifixion. We then went to the Holy Sepulcure -again a church build on the area where Jesus was crucified and where he rose again. Within this building there are 5 christian denominations represented inc catholics, greek orthadox etc- all believe in the importance of the building. So many tourists all wanting to touch the sites of significance- religious tourism is big here. Our last stop for the day was the Wailing Wall- the most significant Jewish worship site. We both got to head into separate male/female sections of the wall- lovely photo of Al with his Kipper on his head. The religious conviction of people there worshiping was incredible to see. Part of the tradition is to knock your head against the wall and there is a reason why its called the Wailing Wall. You also have to walk backwards out of the area. I was no good at either.

We have both felt REALLY safe here and everyone is so friendly. Just come back from a long walk through the streets at night. The area is pretty stable these days. We have really enjoyed our time here and wish we’d had another day. Recommend this place to visit. Oh and yes- LOADS of lamb here to- eaten at most meals even.

Lots of cultural comments but best posted when I leave the country and we head back to Jordan- onwards to Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba.

(Dont forget to scan mouse over photos to view description)

Started our time here visiting the Amman Meat Markets. Everyone was so friendly and we got lots of info on consumer habits in Jordan and whats selling. Right next to the Meat Market is a slaughterhouse where live animals (Australian included) are transported in for slaughter mainly from the feedlots located near Aqaba-Quwaira in the south. The main company here importing and selling live animals is Hijazi and Ghosheh (H&G) (www.hgg.com.jo)- who basically own Livestock Shipping Services (LSS) one of the three big exporters out of WA (along with Wellards and Emmanuals). LSS have 12 livestock carriers- 3 of which do shipments from oz- the others are shipping from South America. H&G also import a significant amount of chilled and frozen product- mostly from Fletchers and some from Silverfern and AFFCO (both NZ).

Meat markets- the general consensus was that Aust product is way better than NZ product- they prefer the flavour- nice feedback. So much so- one gentleman said to me ‘here let me show you the best product from Australia’- so he went to his chiller and pulled out a box of WAMMCO meat! Did also pull out some from T&R and Silverfern afterwards but raved about wammco product. The main boxed product sold was the forequater (FQ) which is usually broken down and sold into smaller portions. Im not joking about lamb being consumed in high quantities here- its in every traditional dish. Big lamb eaters and demand is only increasing.

In the old days- NZ used to ship a large amount of FQ meat into the Middle East- they shipped the legs and saddle to the UK/EU markets and needed to find a home for the FQ. So NZ has been selling to the middle east for the last few decades- a lot longer than Oz which started off around 20 years ago selling mutton only. They do import live sheep from Sudan as well- these carcases sell for around $4 Jordanian Dinar/kg whereas the Australian sell for between $6-8 Dinar/kg (roughly $5.5 AUD/kg and $8-11.5AUD/kg respectively). The sudanese sheep are very lean and small. There are also Jordanian native sheep that have a very fat tail- see picture below. They use this fat in cooking- such as kebabs. The demand here continues to be for small carcases- 13-18kg max, no more than 10mm fat (fat score 2). The perception is- smaller the younger it is and they absolutely prefer lamb over mutton. So many merino wethers come here though and they are in demand but are definitely not lamb- im still perplexed by this but think the perception is that they are younger in age if they are smaller.

Today I was VERY lucky to have a meeting with Dr Hani Hijazi- one of the founders of the Hijazi and Ghosheh group. They are a very large and prominent company here who dont just sell and import live and box meat but they also value add and process- hamburgers, mince… Dr Hani is a well known Jordanian, astute and clever businessman so an audience which him was very exciting.H&G have invested significantly in the live export trade and very closely concerned with the supply chain assurance programs being put in place by DAFF etc- they have until aug to get full traceability systems in place. What the new rules mean are though that they can no longer sell live animals to anyone but meat processors. During the Haj and Ramandan when live sheep are traditionally sold for ritual slaughter- they will now have to source sheep from Sudan and even South American countries.The opinion is that the program should have been implemented on a government to government level rather than government (DAFF) to the importers-exporters of Australian lamb in the middle east.

Major markets into the future for H&G- predict rapid growth in the gulf region and are opening up offices. They also believe that once instability settles down Libya and Iraq they will be major sheepmeat markets for aust lamb. Saudi used to be a major market for Aust sheep by LSS but now they are taking much more from Sudan and India. Forequarters will continue to be a majority of product sold into the future but there is increasing demand for the saddle cuts here to hotels. We also spoke about preferred breeds- they really like the Crossbred sheep here especially dorpers (yay). Damaras yes to but they can buy similar looking sheep from closer countries (sudan, pakistan etc) for half the price.

Interestingly- till 4 months ago Jordan used to have an import and sales tax on Australian live (not boxed product) into the country. Align this with the high cost of Australian lamb- Jordanians successfully lobbied their govt to remove these taxes and demand has significantly increased. Countries like Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman all have subsidised lamb so there is the perception that the high prices dont matter to the average consumer in these countries.

Al and I are going to be traveling over the next few days via Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum and end up in Aqaba- on the Red Sea. Very excited and we will see some incredible sights and historical wonders. In Aqaba I will have more time with H&G/LSS operations- feedlot and abattoir near Quwaira. I have some work to do there- independent of Nuffield but im pretty sure I will learn lots for my study from it. In the meantime Alan gets to relax at the 5* resort ive booked us into…. Looking forward to a bit of a break here and to see Petra will be very special.

They say doing a Nuffield requires you to get you out of your comfort zone and the last few days I have been well out of mine. Im doing my best though to make the most of all opportunities to learn but at the same time respect a very traditional culture. Its complicated. Jordan is a fairly liberated country for women- many are driving and even more dont wear a head scarf. Saying this I (we) have totally settled into the Middle Eastern way and already used to the very loud 4am wake up prayers from the mosque right next door:) Photos below:

Amman Meat Market

We have been through a number of supermarkets here in the Middle East now to get a feel for whats being sold. Meat sales through supermarkets in the Middle East are drastically increasing as they become more westernised and affluent.

Some pictures of Amman- from the Citadel.

The supply of breeding genetics (boars and sows) is done through private stud breeders but they are closely aligned with the Danish Agriculture and Land division and also Danish Crown- the dominant pork cooperative here. Until last year Danish Crown was in the top 5 of the worlds largest co-ops- the reason for the change- last year it become a listed company.

Thursday was a career highlight and im sure my Murdoch Uni colleagues back in Perth will be jealous. We received a personal tour of the most modern and automated meat processing plant in the world- one of the many belonging to Danish Crown located at Horsens, about 3 hours drive from Copenhagen. I wasn’t allowed to take photos inside the plant but two websites below with images and more info. This plant actually had a viewing platform so visitors didnt need to go inside- we got to of course and are apparently really lucky to have done so. Al and I were accompanied (after a 5am start and 3 hour drive) by Henrik Andersen the MD of Carometec Food Technologies- an old colleague and the director of the largest company in the world selling online meat grading tools. Thank you so much Henrik for looking after us.

WOW! This plant kills about 20,000 pigs per DAY. The plant is located on 80,000sqm. Has 1300 staff over 2 shifts- so 650 each shift. What is amazing is that plants in the US and other parts of the world that are processing similar size have up to 4000 staff. From lairage up to the boning room there are 150 staff- the rest of the 650 being comprised of cleaners, inspectors and boners. The lairage yards are all automated and pigs aren’t at all stressed-  evident by the almost silent and calm lairage area. They are moved by automated gates and doors up to a CO2 anesthetising chamer. They go in here and are gased for 5 mins to unconsciousness. After this point they are rolled out of the chamber where there are stabbed with a jugular stick which pipes blood away from the throat- minimal blood on the floor. Ive never seen this sticking setup anywhere before. They are then put into the scalder and followed by burner to get the hair off. Next comes the best technology that has significantly revolutionised the pig industry- the Autoform by Carometec- a ultrasound scanner that calculates the lean meat yield (LMY) of the whole carcass particularly the saddle and ham regions. Unfortunately this machine is no good for sheep as the removal of the fleece leaves air pockets which ultrasound displays as black image. This data is then used to pay farmers based on primal (not whole carcass) LMY and also amazingly and MOST importantly- allows the automated sorting of carcases further down the track. The carcases are beautifully eviscerated by a laser guided machine- same for splitting of the carcases in half. There are a number of automated machines further on as well.

http://www.foodprocessing-technology.com/projects/danish_crown/danish_crown8

http://www.danishcrown.com/page22686

http://www.carometec.com/products/item/autoform

After blast chilling for 15 mins the carcases are automatically sorted (like magic) into cutting orders depending on market specs. The sorting of carcases may seem simple but its a real efficiency driver for Danish Crown. On average each carcass is worth EURO100 to the farmer and the sorting is estimated to be worth 2Euro per carcass- over 20,000 carcases- huge gain over a day! Sorting does of course happen at Australian plants but its based on a carcass wt and manual palpitation of fat score. No VIAscan is being used to sort carcasses. VIA or Video Image Analysis calculates LMY by taking a picture of the carcass and then uses a series of algorithms based on the dimensions and measurements outputted from that picture. In fact there is only one plant is Australia with VIAscan- WAMMCO in Katanning WA and they don’t use it for sorting. What this trip has highlighted to me is that we are quite behind the times in terms of our carcass grading- many plants are still using manual palpitation which I think is really primitive compared to the technologies the Danes have. Manual palpitation is far from objective and as sheep farmers I believe our product needs to be graded using a consistent and accurate technology to help us get the best feedback on our product and get paid for doing our best on farm to product carcasses with correct fat scores. A number of plants in Australia do have a GR knife but recent issues with licences have meant that MLA is investing in technologies from the Pork industry. Including the Fat-o-meter a Caramotec product that has been used by the Danes since the 1940s (superseded by the Autoform). Here in the EU all pig carcasses must be graded objectively- not a rule we have in Australia. So really payment systems here mean all farmers are on an equal footing rather than being dependent on the repeatability of the manual fat score operator as we are in Australia. Another point I liked here is that payment systems for LMY are based on a primal level rather than whole carcasss level. So more meat in the loin/saddle region will be more financially valuable that more LMY in the forequarter region. Maybe similar system for lamb is valid.

On Friday I had a visit to the Danish Meat Research Institute (DMRI)- great team of people who made me feel so welcome. I gave a presentation on the Australian Lamb Industry- topics ranging from current numbers, markets, demand drivers and the Sheep CRC work we are undertaking. I was then lucky enough to have a number of people give me a presentation on the work they are doing. Much of the discussion was meat science focused which was great for me professionally. BUT what I did get to see was a prototype online CT meat scanner. I was in awe! The project is set to roll out 9 prototype units in Danish Crown plants mid-2013. There was some debate about the applicability of the technology whilst it remains an expensive unit to install and maintain. I think it could absolutely revolutionise the industry if the costs are kept down and also the processor commits to paying farmers for LMY. There are many reasons why Danish Crown believe that it will be very useful in their plant. Firstly- to determine cutting lines for the saddle region- the fat will be removed to x thickness using an autocutter. Also used to better sort product and lastly as a grading tool for (even better) payment systems. So far the unit appears to work at chain speed- it can scan 15cm per second.

After my visit to Danish crown I had a meeting with Anders Vernersen at Danish Agriculture and Food. Anders is the head of the breeding and genetics group and I wanted to meet with him to get a better understanding of the future breeding directions for Danish pork. Danish pork has long been paying on LMY and farmers confidently buy semen, trust ebvs and almost always select boars on an index that is inclusive of LMY, Feed conversion efficiency and growth to slaughter. Moreso the LMY component of the index is aligned with and weighted accordingly to what the processers are paying for LMY at any one time. What was VERY clear was just how consistent the product was at Horsens. The Danish pork industry also only uses 3 breeds. All the sows are a cross bred large white x Landrace and the boars are all Durocs. Anders and I did just about come to blows when he told me that our Australian sheep industry should be more like the pig industry in that (1) we have to many breeds, (2) needed to better optimise our breeding programs and (3) all of our ewes should be cross breeds with a strong focus on mothering ability. I do agree with some bits but know that most Australian farmers want a dual purpose enterprise and also farm in regions better suited to merino rather than XB ewes. Were also very lucky in Australia to have a range of marketing options and more importantly a range of markets specs that we can sell product for- small carcasses for the middle eats, large carcasses for the US market, merino wethers and smaller lambs to the middle east market etc. But our talk did make me think about the viability of dual purpose sheep enterprises into the future and Ive come away with the feeling that I need to better perfect our meat line of ewes on the farm and focus attention on doing that the best I can.

Anyways- future breeding directions for pork. A little scary- even though they have achieved optimal LMY in all carcases they are not becoming complacent and will continue to select on it. The current level of intramuscular fat (IMF) of pork loin is only 1% and will probably drop lower as a result. IMF has a very significant effect on eating quality and reduces juiciness and tenderness. In lamb loins- the current level of IMF in a XB prime lamb is 4.5% and the sheep CRC work has shown that dropping from 6 to 4 % IMF in lamb results in a 50% increase in toughness. Their industry places no importance on eating quality simply because they don’t pay on it- which is fair enough. One could easily come to the conclusion that they are producing mass, consistent product which is 90% exported but tough as boots. Im even less inclined to buy pork nowJ

Have been able to do some sightseeing whilst here. On the way back to Copenhagen after our visit to Horens we stopped in for lunch at a beautiful Danish fishing village for lunch. We are doing our best to eat Denmark out of pickled herring, smoked salmon and rye bread. Seen a fair bit of countryside during this visit. Today we walked all over the city and ended up at the Royal Palace. We got there just in time to see the changing of the guards. Love their furry hats. Unfortunately we didn’t see Princess Mary BUT we did see the Royal dog and the Royal dog walker- a job I can only aspire to. Henrik and wife Annette also took us to a Michelin Star restaurant. Had an amazing meal at the Red House.

We stayed 2 days with the Pollock family near Elie in the Fife Region north of Edinburgh- Fiona, Rob and daughter Nikki are cousins with Audrey Bird who farms near Al and I. The Pollocks have a beef, horticulture and arable cropping property but also have the most amazing on farm shop. See www.ardrossfarm.co.uk

The Pollocks established the shop as a means to cut out the middle man of their beef operation and its grown into a complete shopping experience. You can do all of your weekly food shop. They sell veg and fruit, all kinds of meat including their own beef, artisan breads, jams, sauces as a start. Their shop is so amazing! They also supply the most delicious ready made meals and puddings which are very popular. They source all of their product from Scottish farmers. Nikki is the director of their farm shop and its been great to hear  where they plan to take their very successful enterprise into the future. They are already doing a number of home delivery orders and plan to extend this to internet shopping for meat, veg and all their products. We loved our time with the Pollocks and were very sad to leave. Some photos of their shop.

During our time in Scotland we were also honored to visit John and Margaret Cameron who have a farm near the Pollocks.The Camerons were credited with being the one-time largest sheep farmers in Europe. John was also the President of the National Farmers Union of Scotland, ex-president of the Scottish region National Beef and Sheep Associations with many big achievements over his career. We had a great discussion about so many things especially why EU farmers should still subsidies into the future. In 2014 there will be big changes put into place to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which are likely to reduce/remove the subsidies paid to many farmers. John is fighting to ensure hill sheep farmers and those in difficult to farm areas continue to get payments. Without the subsidies- the consequences would be that they would no longer run sheep in these regions which have run sheep for so many centuries and result in undesirable ecological changes. Margaret has a fantastic line of Herefords. Some photos of John and Margaret’s Herefords below. Thank you to the Camerons, it was so lovely to meet you.

We also met Clark and Shiela Stewart and sons Alan and John at their farm also near Elie. Clark is the Chairman of the Royal Highland Society and also a long standing Border Leicester breeder. Some pictures of their Borders. Borders are becoming a rarer breed in the UK being replaced by the blue faced leicester- a very fecund and well adapted breed.

Al got to visit St Andrews Golf Course in St Andrews- he was very excited! We also had a lovely day with Als Mum- Marys- 1st cousins Jean and Harry who also live near Edinburgh. Wish we could have stayed longer with them.

Al and I are now in Copenhagen. More soon!

Working back in time- Al and I had a fantastic night with John and Sarah Yeomans from Newtwon in mid-wales. .John and I met 6 years ago when john was visiting Australia for his Nuffield when he was looking at carcass grading systems. Lots of thought provoking conversation and laughs and opportunity to visit their beautiful, progressive upland farm during a time when all of their stock are being housed. The Yeomans are about to start lambing- their 300 ewes will lamb in the shed over a roughly fortnight period- once lambs are a day or so old- they are sent out to the paddock. John and Sarah have lines of Beullas and also blue faced welsh mule crosses.

Last friday I had a meeting with Meat Promotion Wales or HCC in Aberystwyth- they are a levy based organisation that directs and markets the Welsh Lamb and Beef brands which have protected geographical status (PGI). I learnt more about what is a very niche and highly regarded lamb product. Interestingly their advertising campaigns are very focused on young people and easy to prepare meals- meals under 8 mins to cook for example. They are also focused on sending more welsh lamb- particularly the 5^th quarter- the offal and manufacturing cuts such as the flaps- to china. And more high end cuts into Canada.

What else have I been doing this week?

Finished our Contemporary scholars conference last sat- said goodbye to all my new friends. We had an amazing week together –we were given the opportunity to learn so much. We heard from many amazing speakers- many educated us but some moved us tremendously. I know feel conversant on issues such as the common agricultural policy, ive been on a tour of the Houses of Parliament, met farmers who have diversified their farm businesses with great success, met the Queens first cousin- the Duke of Gloucester – the Nuffield Patron at NZ house in Whitehall, eaten at the prestigious farmers club…the list goes on.

Whilst in London I also had great meetings with JBS Swift and NZ Farmers. NZ Farmers is a subsidiary of the Alliance processing company in New Zealand- they import over 30% of NZ’s lamb into the UK. Great opportunity to get a NZ perspective of lamb imports into the EU. We started our day with NZ farmers with a tour of Smithfield meat market and I must say- very little lamb on sale. Many thanks to Dave and Brian. I look forward to catching up when your in Australia next. Learnt so much on the UK market.

My meeting with JBS Swift- many thanks to Nick Sherwood. Was a great opportunity to learn more about Australian product being exported from Australia in to the UK. JBS are establishing a strong alliance with Tesco to supply product ouside of the peak UK lamb season which is from june-dec. Tesco have quite strict conditions – achieved through livestock assurance programs – on what can classify as a tesco lamb- there are now 500 producers in Vic and NSW who are signed up to the program. The drive for welfare assured meat in the uk is huge. Since the BSE and F&M outbreaks here- consumers have strong welfare expectations from their meat producers. There is such strong competition between retailers here any they continue to drive prices down at any expense. We will see a time I believe when lamb that’s shipped into the UK- coming from farms where there is no mulesed animals on the property perhaps also no live export as well. Lots more to say here about my meeting with Swift.

Alan arrived in London last sat and the following days were spent sightseeing and then onwards to Wales to have a few days with my wonderful family. Many thanks to my wonderful aunties, uncles and cousins Liz and Niki who looked after us.

Off now to spend time with fellow local farmer Audrey Birds wonderful family who are located in the Fife region just north of Edinburgh.

On Monday we went to visit the operations of FloraHolland the worlds largest cooperative for flower producers. Here they own a massive receivables and distribution facility and auction house. Photos below don’t do justice. The auction is done using a clock system which enables fast feedback for the 150000 transactions they do per day! There were so many different  and very beautiful flowers that I had never seen before. Floraholland turnover 4.1 billion euro/yr and have 4900 members- which include many of their farms in africa. Offshore production by countries in the EU is trend across many industries.

Here in the Netherlands coop style agriculture is the norm. The coops work were well with over 95% of flower and dairy producers belonging to a coop. The main dairy coop is Friesland-campina which has 14800 members. We were fortunate to hear about both coops for the CEOs and also Vino meat- one of the few meat cooperatives in the world (mainly pork production). Believe it or not- the Netherlands is actually the 2nd largest exporter in the world- but they do a lot of this into other European countries.

I can see many benefits to coops such as allowing better vertical integration, mitigation of risk and increased lobbying potential. However the issue of geographical distance and the Australian drive for individualism mean that coops have a low success rate. More so coops for products with a short shelf life-like milk and flowers do seem to perform better and survive. Really explaining why we have few meat coops world-wide and only 1 in Australia. Other issue is that Australians also have a variety of marketing options for our lamb and sheep meat so no reliance on a co-op. Im almost confident after spending the day with eminent ceos of a number of very successful cooperatives that better vertical integration in the sheep industry won’t be achieved through cooperatives into the future. Which is a shame because it could offer us increased bargaining power with the supermarket powerhouses for starters.

One of the nights in Rotterdam we went on a dinner cruise through the Rotterdam harbour the largest in Europe. The organisers of our conference are taking us on an amazing journey and jam packed itinerary but weve had plenty of time to talk about our projects with other scholars. I’ve got so many new ideas on where to take my study now- I don’t think I will be able to fit it all in. I’ve been able to meet so many energetic, smart and truly inspirational people who are motivated towards the advancement of their farming business or agriculture related occupation. Nuffield Australia scholars are all farmers however international scholars are not and this adds a great diversity to the group we can all benefit from.

Our final day in the Netherlands was spent at the office of Koppert Cress- Europes largest producer of aromatic herbs and cresses. (www.koppertcress.com). Massive glasshouses and really successful niche business! The business has been built up from scratch and it was great to hear the motivation for  the continued success of this business.

A real benefit of this trip has been the opportunity to talk to people in industries outside of the sheep industry and gain insights that can help drive my business. There are SO many new things I have learnt this week alone. I cannot begin to say how grateful I am to the Nuffield network for this opportunity to become LESS insular and restricted in my thinking.

Our first speaker was an expert on consumer cultures and drivers (www.freshretail.nl). It’s amazing to think that our shopping habits are analysed and the shopping experience formulated according to our shopping psyche. The power of the supermarkets are underpinned by so many tricks to lull us into purchasing more. We heard of so many examples and here are links to 2 youtube videos we saw during the presentation. Absolutely fantastic and I encourage you all to view them. They show the power of advertising and supermarkets.

Innovation in the future really requires us as farmers to get into the heads of our consumers.Consumers love the story behind their product and sheep farmers could better use this to our advantage if we wanted to. Perhaps our strategy is to better convince our customers that our product is really different and special and explain this better to them.BUT to achieve this we have to make really sure that there is a difference compared our competitors. We mustn’t lose sight of the strong demand for lamb and strive to continue to produce a quality lamb product sustainably with a strong focus on animal welfare. There is a real drive in the UK and Western Eu for high welfare meat products- and in some cases they are fetching a premium.I do wonder how well this trend will take off in Oz- the Coles tack of banning farrowing crates is an example of how it’s started for us already.

Another way of thinking- consumers are willing to pay up to 30% more for our product than our competitors chicken, pork and beef to. If we were to ask them why- we need to make sure they have an answer well into the future.

In addition consumers I believe with our speaker have lost sight of what good food tastes like.Were so used to consistent, average food that yes has high shelf life for the supermarkets- but no flavour. We have a great Australian lamb product that is being really well advertised around the world. My question is- what more can we being doing with our product.

Sorry for the long blog. I will write more from London tomorrow.

Some more photos.

I arrived here on wed and spent time in Amsterdam and also went out to Utrecht about 30 mins by train from Amsterdam to meet with Rabobank International located at a brand new and futuristic Rabobank HQ. I am now located in Rotterdam with all the new 2012 Nuffield Scholars from around the world. There are about 50 of us. Its a hive of activity and thought provoking conversations. Im also making new friends whom I feel I will greatly enhance my project and I will keep in touch with long after nuffield. We are quite a diverse bunch. We have game farmers, pig producers, fishermen, industry representatives, lobbyists, dairy farmers, animal welfare reps- you name it- all parts of the agri-industry are represented.

We started the conference yesterday with a bus tour literally around the Netherlands- its not a big country- roughly the size of our local shires- narrogin, wickepin and corrigin shires collectively. Lots of canals, dairy farms and dykes. A significant portion of agriculture is being conducted on reclaimed land as we are below sea level here. We had the opportunity to visit an indoor dairy of about 300 cows- always interesting to see intensive agriculture. Today we have all spent the day doing a powerpoint outline of ourselves and projects. Lots more chance to discuss projects. Funnily as a 1st gen Australian- daughter of Welsh Parents- there are a number of welsh scholars this year who have spent the day gloating to the english scholars over the Wales vs England Rugby match yest that Wales thankfully won.

As mentioned I was very lucky to meet with representatives this week from Rabobank. I have lots more to say about my time with Rabo which I will post in a few days.

I firstly met with Bart IJntema and Edwin van Raalte over lunch where we discussed the importance of succession planning for the ongoing viability of farming businesses. Rabobank have a very proactive approach to develop expertise in succession planning within their organisation. They see it as an essential part of their business to ensure farm viability in the future. I agreed with the comment made that when the retiring baby boomer generation decide to retire-its usually to late and planning for retirement should be happening 20 yrs prior. In our case- this is definitely true. Alan and I know were very lucky to be farming in our own entity but we have pressures that those lucky folk who have successfully undergone a succession dont have. I do believe that the majority of our generation have a forward thinking mentality that wants to provide and take responsibility early for their own retirement. Its just hard because most of us struggle now to finance this goal.

I then met with Rene Kester who had gone to much effort to research the current EU sheep market and provided me with a wealth of information. I will share I promise.

My next meeting was with Michiel Klompenhouweror from Rabobank and Jochem Versloot from Jan Zandbergen. Jan Zandbergen is a large meat importer supplying much of Western Europe (www.janzandbergen.nl/en/home). They buy meat from all around the world- beef from Brazil and lamb from NZ and South America (potentially also Oz). With the removal of quotas for grain fed beef into the EU recently they are actively acquiring Australian grain fed beef. Exciting times for beef feedloters now that this quota system has been removed.

THREE fears were confirmed in my meeting with Jochem and Michiel- (1) NZ lamb is perceived in the EU to be higher quality and preferentially less flavoursome then Aust lamb (2) Australian MSA grading systems for beef (and therefore potentially also for lamb) is not being used widely or successfully in the EU to sell meat mainly because of the large number of categories such as marbeling score make it to complicated (3) Our ridiculously small quota continues to limits any real gains in the eu and the only way to better out returns from this market is to boost sales of racks and loins into this market with a focus on food service.I think point 1 and 3 are links as NZ has a greater market share/quota and is therefore more out in the eye of the consumer.

I would love to hear that the MSA offers farmers a marketing advantage especially in our export markets in the future as MSA sheepmeat is taken up by more plants and farmers. And simply that graded meat will be in demand as consumers become more willing to pay for quality. With lamb being an expensive commodity all over the world- I do feel that MSA for sheepmeat will pay an important marketing role into the future- the best way to achieve this- we need to discuss as an industry.

Back to lamb and sheepmeat- I met on fri with Albert Vernooij- Senior Commodities Analyst for Animal Proteins. We talked trends in all animal proteins. Lots of REALLY interesting points to share. As a Meat Scientist it was great to take a step back from research and put it all into perspective.

Many thanks to Bart, Edwin, Rene, Michiel and Albert for arranging my visit and providing me with the great opportunity to meet you all and Jochem Versloot from Jan Zandbergen. Big thanks to Stephen Kelly from our local WA team for arranging the visit.

Amsterdam is a fabulous city and I loved the traditional buildings in the city centre where I stayed. I really enjoyed walking along the canals exploring. I must admit when I arrived I was a bit shell shocked with this very liberal city but settled in now (nothing to do with the ‘Cafes’ which are all over the place). Ive had a few near death experiences- with cyclists. Can’t get used to everyone driving on the opposite side of the road. As expected there are cyclists absolutely everywhere. Here they have a well designed road system for cyclists and special traffic lights for cycle paths.

More thoughts on the contemporary scholars conference here in Rotterdam and visit with Rabo to come. Fly to London on tues to spend time investigating farm policy. Alan arrives in London on the 3rd so counting days.

The enormity of this show is certainly driven by the fact that the Gulf countries import over 80% of their food. The potential here for Australian producers to import any fresh food is unlimited. Its a region that has incredible yet newish wealth and a growing middle class. They are also trading on the world stage which means they are driven to buy product that is of high quality product regardless of country of origin.

Australian meat certainly has a strong reputation for being high quality- in terms of food safety, reliability and eating quality. My project is very focused on exploring the potential for boxed- frozen and chilled product. The theme im seeing from this show is that the demand for product Australia is high and will continue to be. The food sector industry in the UAE is a big driver particularly for the saddle cuts- the loin and racks as well as the legs. With a new hotel going up every day and the occupancy rates well over 80% its a market we can continue to tap into. The demand for the cheaper cuts is also increasing particularly in the supermarket retail sector. I have been fortunate to spend time with a number of WA and Australian Meat processors who are represented in the Aussie stand.In particular WAMMCO who have allowed me to meet a number of their clients and ask them a host of questions. One of their many clients is a prominent meat importer who supply many of the 4, 5,6 and yes 7* hotels throughout the UAE. WAMMCO are also getting hotel chains and their chefs actively seeking their product. As a WAMMCO shareholder im proud to know that my product is regarded to be of the highest quality. Other countries such a Brazil also have a very prominent presence here at Gulfood. The Brazillian Beef stand is massive- photos dont do it justice.

Live shipments to the region are without question very important. The supply chain assurance programs that are currently being put into place with Gulf countries are causing headaches but the deadline Feb 29th to have systems in place should be satisfactorily achieved. The politics behind this issue are incredible and I certainly gauge some damage has been done. Simply were trying to impose conditions on these ME countries that we dont have ourselves- such as the requirement for traceability of EVERY animal. The Australian merino wethers relied upon for the live export trade certainly have competitors from closer countries such as Pakistan and India and Eastern African countries. The quality of this products is not perceived to be to far below that of Australian sheep. I was able to spend time today with Mauro Balzarini Executive Chairman of Wellards and Mr Ebrahim Zainl Chairman of Bahrain Livestock Co and I thank them for their time and honesty. As a farmer supplying Wellards it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what happens to my product. Also- Bahrain Livestock Co take both live and boxed product from Oz and it was great to get a perspective on the debate of live vs chilled. The cultural demand for live product will always be there and whilst Australia remains the main supplier of live animals into the middle east we know we have some control over animal welfare in the region. I have lots more to say on this issue but best not written here.

Im here with the WA Trade team organised by the Department of Food and Agriculture WA and many thanks to Carolyn Hine and Simon Johnson for including me. There are a number of companies represented- Manjimup Truffles, Coorow Seeds for example. A great team to be traveling with and some pictures below of the stand. We’ve been fortunate to go on a number of field trips.Yesterday we made a visit to a juicing and fresh fruit and veg preparation (salads etc) factory- company called Barakat Fresh. They buy a host of WA product with the potential for a lot more. As im sure your all aware this region has a low intake of alcohol so fresh juices and non-alcohol beer type products are very popular.

On a side note- Dubai is surprisingly cool and even chilly at night. Its been 6 years since I was last here and the changes are evident all around me. There is metro line which im about to take back to the Gulfood is very new- it even has a gold carriage and women only carriage. The day I arrived Dubai was engulfed in a sand storm. Its slowly clearing as is the sand in my eyes:)

Tomorrow I fly to Amsterdam. I have a free day to explore and I also have some meetings with meat importers to attend. Ive also been talking with our bank- Rabobank- who originate from Holland about setting up some visits. They may not be meat related but they will be in the agribusiness sector and looking forward to learning some new things.