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8 April 2021 The announcement of Government funding for decarbonisation will support the red meat sector’s ambition to be climate neutral by 2050, says the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Meat processing companies are among the recipients of funding from the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) Fund, administered by EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority)
“We are pleased with today’s announcement by the Government, which aligns with our sector’s goal of transitioning away from coal,” says Sirma Karapeeva, chief executive of the MIA.
“Some meat processors, especially in the South Island where there is no natural gas supply, use coal to heat plant boilers for hot water
“Converting from coal to alternative fuels for processing is challenging and expensive. It does require new technologies such as heat pumps and biomass/firewood being installed into existing plants and this financial support is valuable.
“The meat processing and export industry is New Zealand’s largest manufacturing industry, the country’s second largest goods exporter and we generate almost $10 billion in export revenue every year.
“We employ approximately 25,000 people and we are the largest employer in many of the regional towns we operate in so any transition needs to be fair and just to ensure these thousands of jobs and livelihoods are not jeopardised.”