Bryan attended the Red Meat Sector Conference in Wellington and caught up with Meat Industry Association chair Nathan Guy, who outlined some of the structural shifts in the industry and gave his views on the big challenges sheep and beef farmers are facing at the moment.

Immigration settings are still causing headaches for farmers as calving begins. Many are struggling to get migrant worker visas processed so they can begin work. Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre tells Bryan what he’s doing to help improve the process and gives some tips on how farmers can give themselves the best chance of clearing the hurdles.

Neal Wallace joins Bryan to wrap up the Red Meat Sector Conference, which brought together processors, industry groups, stakeholders and farmers. The sector is doing it tough right now and judging by the conference programme, there’s more uncertainty ahead.