The deep south is providing Meat & Wool New Zealand with its greatest challenge when it comes to getting farmer support for its industry good programmes.
Meat & Wool narrowly won farmer support in a recent referendum, for proposed sheep meat and beef levies for the next five years, but lost the vote on wool and goat meat levies.
Further analysis of regional voting patterns shows the organisation has least support in the southern South Island, where farmers voted against all the levy proposals.
Beef and wool levies were also rejected by narrow margins in Northland and the western North Island.
Meat & Wool chair, Mike Petersen says it shows where the organisation needs to put in more effort to reconnect with farmer levy payers.
Based on the referendum results, support for Meat & Wool New Zealand is strongest in the eastern North Island, where farmers voted for all the levy proposals.
