22nd October 2026 | Rural News
Meat exports to the U.A.E stalled over Halal certification Meat industry scholarships open for 2027 Shearer sentenced for abusing animals WANT TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW LIVE (11am-1pm NZST) ON THE GO? Download CountryWide Connect mobile app to stream the show via Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Or try the voice command ‘Play CountryWide Connect’ on Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Apple: https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/countrywide-connect/id6761033881 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.countrywide&hl=en_NZ Meat exports to the U.A.E stalled over Halal certification Meat exports to the United Arab Emirates have been stalled for a month, after the body that certifies most New Zealand plants as halal lost its accreditation. The Emirati Government did not renew the New Zealand Islamic Development Trust’s registration, which was cancelled on the twenty-fourth of September. The market was worth sixty million dollars last year, the second biggest in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia. Only product already certified and on the water was allowed through. Everything made or stored since has been stuck. Two other certifiers are approved there, but neither covers many plants here. The Meat Industry Association is understood to be fast-tracking contracts, hoping to restore certification before the new season ramps up. Exporters are bracing for higher costs in the meantime. Meat industry scholarships open for 2027 Applications are open for the Meat Industry Association’s 2027 scholarships, with students having until the 26th of November to apply. The association offers five thousand dollars for undergraduates and ten thousand dollars for postgraduate students studying subjects relevant to red meat processing, who plan a career in the sector. Chief Executive Nick Beeby says it’s an exciting time to build a career in red meat, with exports going to more than one hundred markets and the sector supporting one in twenty jobs across the country. Beeby says many different subjects can be a starting point, from commerce and food science to law, agribusiness and supply chain management. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents studying at a tertiary institution. Shearer sentenced for abusing animals A North Otago shearer has been sentenced to two months’ home detention for abusing seven lambs while shearing them. Damian Walter David Fraser, thirty-seven, pleaded guilty in the Oamaru District Court to seven charges of ill-treatment of sheep under the Animal Welfare Act. Video footage showed him deliberately striking and stomping on lambs, and dropping one on its head. The Ministry for Primary Industries’ regional manager investigations Central and South, Gerry Anderson, says its team spent thousands of hours studying footage of shearing operations to identify Fraser. The case stems from five hundred and sixty hours of footage supplied by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and sparked a nationwide investigation of shearing practices. It’s the second prosecution, with another shearer already sentenced and two more still before the court. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
