Mountain River Community Meeting - Dunsandel, 17 March
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
It was great to bring the Mountain River Community together at Dunsandel on 17 March - a strong turnout and a shared focus on where we go next.
Across the afternoon, we stepped back and looked at the bigger picture. The challenges are clear - profitability, productivity, and environmental expectations are all rising. But so too is the opportunity to position venison for where the market is heading.
Insights from our in-market partners reinforced this. From North America, Scandinavia, Italy, China, and here in New Zealand, the direction is consistent - consumers are placing increasing value on how food is produced, not just what it is.
This is where the Future Value Project comes into focus.
Adding value through programmes like Cervena, grass-fed, and now regenerative verification is not optional - it is where the market is moving. The work underway with Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) and the development of healthier deerscapes is about getting ahead of that shift.
We are building a way of working together that supports both on-farm performance and in-market positioning.
Hearing directly from farmers, alongside Emilia Lopez Seco and Professor Pablo Gregorini, grounded the discussion on what this looks like in practice - improving productivity while strengthening environmental outcomes.
The conversation was open, practical, and forward-looking.
We finished the day together over a shared meal prepared by Simon Levy and the INATI team - a fitting way to connect the work on-farm with the experience on the plate.
Thank you to everyone who made the effort to be there and contribute.
That’s how momentum builds across the Mountain River Community.
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