A much awaited report on New Zealand’s troubled export meat sector is expected to ruffle a few industry feathers when it’s released later this month.

The report was commissioned jointly by Beef and Lamb NZ, The Meat Industry Association and the government, and cost more than half a million dollars.

Beef and Lamb NZ Chairman Mike Petersen says the report needs to do more than simply produce raw data on the industry if there’s to be any significant changes.

"We’ve been quite specific in asking them to look right from the farm to the market and to identify the opportunities for the industry to move ahead.

"They’ve done quite a lot of work in the last 6 months to understand just where the opportunities are.

"I’m quite confident that they’ve found opportunities in every part of that chain."

Mr Petersen says he hopes firms will respond positively to indications that things simply need to change.

"No one can say they are doing the best that can possibly be done.

"I think you’ll find that some of the messages here could be that in every part of the chain can improve and can be more profitable which would be better for New Zealand."

Federated Farmers’ Meat and Fibre Chair Bruce Wills says the report won’t be about pointing the finger at any one group.

"What we’ve asked these guys to do is to take an absolutely independent look at the entire industry to be analytical and to look at all the numbers.

"We want the report to say 'we think the problems are here, here, and here and we think that if you start doing this, this, and this then the entire industry will benefit'."                                 

                                                                                            Bruce Wills

The full strategy will not be publicly aired until late March at the earliest.