12 Nov 2015

KPMG report predicts agricultural future

9:44 pm on 12 November 2015

A new KPMG report is pointing to radical changes in New Zealand's primary sector in years to come.

KPMG farm enterprise specialist Julia Jones

KPMG farm enterprise specialist Julia Jones Photo: KPMG

The business advisory firm released its annual Agribusiness Agenda in Christchurch today.

The report focuses on what agriculture will look like in 2035, through the eyes of more than 50 emerging leaders in the primary industries, KPMG farm enterprise specialist Julia Jones said.

The key findings from the group include frustration at a lack of collaboration between industry players, the need for consensus on genetic modification and forward thinking about consumers, she said. Another main idea was the need for farmers to be certified for their job.

"We split them into four different groups and each group would look at four parts of the supply chain: farm, fork, distribution and processing.

"One thing I found interesting in the farm section was a sense of ruthlessness, so they wanted New Zealand farmers to be certified to farm, a license to farm," she said.

"That would incorporate really strong environmental practices, strong business acumen, understanding of the media and how to communicate effectively in the market place... and scientific farming."

They thought the country's best farmers should be business-as-usual in 2035 and those that don't work in that space or aren't best practice need to be exited from the industry, Ms Jones said.