Chefs endorse sustainable New Zealand farming

Chefs Collaborative works with chefs and the greater food community to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply. The Collaborative inspires action by translating information about our food into tools for making knowledgeable purchasing decisions. Through these actions, our members embrace seasonality, preserve diversity and traditional practices, and support local economies.

But in a recent communique on Game meats Chefs Collaborative also recognises that sustainable farming is not just an American preserve, imported foods can and do make a valuable contribution to diversity and healthy food options.

Around the world: Farm-raised deer

In the U.S., venison is one of the most wellknown and widely available game meats. At least 75% of venison on the market in the U.S. is imported from New Zealand, the world's largest producer of farm-raised deer.

For chefs who prefer working with local and seasonal ingredients, the prospect of using imported venison on their menus might not be appealing. But as we work to decipher the larger idea of sustainability, the story of New Zealand venison is a compelling one, regardless of whether you favor local and regional foods.

Since 1984, New Zealand agriculture has been subsidy-free. Though the initial removal of subsidies meant lean times for farmers there, agricultural production has increased by an average of 5.9% since 1986. Once heavily subsidized, sheep farming has declined, while dairy, beef, and venison have all expanded and helped to diversify New Zealand agriculture.

Due to New Zealand's mild climate and wealth of pasture, livestock there is raised year-round on the sustainable model of grass-based production.

The country's venison industry, led by the Cervena brand, developed as a response to the new marketplace farmers faced after subsidy removal. Farmers were forced to adapt to the market rather than depend on subsidies, and identified venison as an ideal product.

The principles guiding each chef through his or her purchasing decisions--and diners through their menu choices--might not align with bringing venison in from New Zealand over a similar product from the U.S. But with our own heavily subsidized agriculture industry under scrutiny for contributing to a food system with misguided priorities, the New Zealand model offers some perspective.

"There's not necessarily a contradiction between being sustainable and being on the other side of the world," says NZ deer industry representative Innes Moffat.

 

"Whether you choose to source game from Texas or from family farms in New Zealand, these meats are a sustainable source of diversity in the kitchen and at the table."

 

For the full article, click on the link below

Chefs Collaborative Game Communique - July 2007