Meat processing capacity picking up

22nd April 2022 By Staff Reporter | news@foodticker.co.nz | @foodtickernz

Processing capacity at New Zealand’s plants is recovering as more people return to work after isolating or staying at home to look after family members due to Covid-19, according to meat industry stakeholders.

A joint update from Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the Meat Industry Association, DairyNZ and Federated Farmers, said capacity varied from plant to plant but ranged between 70%–90% across the country.

However, processing delays remain as companies work through the backlog that has built up as a result of the reduced staff numbers and the existing chronic labour shortage.