Meat processor meetings

As meat processors are predicted to be responsible for only 3% of the lamb carbon footprint I was very impressed by everything this processor is doing to reduce the lamb carbon footprint. But I guess as it has one of the largest plants in the world (slaughtering 32,000 lambs a day at peak season) some might say it should be leading the way. It has introduced many processing energy efficient programmes and alternative energy projects in the plant as well as encouraging on farm production efficiencies. This includes Viascan for yield grading assisting with on farm management decisions. There is an yield bonus on a per lamb qualifying basis, if they get 80% + lambs qualifying they get paid more if they meet target yields for leg, loin and shoulder within the correct weight. Producers receive annual reports on how their yield performance varies from year to year and where they sit compared to averages. This processor has also carried out many trials with genetics, diet, growth rates, yield and castration status to asses production efficiencies and meat quality traits. Forage type appears to have the greatest effect.
They are also involved with the central progeny testing programme to improve on farm production efficiencies using animal genetics to prove the genetics of the ram comparing how his progeny perform relative to progeny from other rams under the same conditions. A meat value index is created from these information gathered at the abattoir in a monetary value with the top ram $5.45. The top performing ram has a combined meat and growth index of $6.89!
There is also a facility that farmers can pay for postmortems, collect liver samples for Trace element analysis and worm egg counts to identify any efficiency problems the health of the animals my have on those remaining on farm. 
They are also currently developing a farm based Carbon footprint calculator. This has been rolled out across producer groups. The farmer enters the data on a web based system and it may be audited. 
Farmer suppliers already have to minimise land and waterway degradation and responsibly dispose of chemicals and containers under the farm assurance programme. Over 90% are farm assured and are audited every every 18 months by the processor and every 3 years independently. The antibiotic free claims are audited the same time as the farm assurance audits.
There is great focus on stock cleanliness. If a proportion are dirty a letter is sent to farmer with photographs and deductions are taken. Mostly no farm assurance premium and this will be removed for the future. They may even stop slaughtering that group. They request that stock must be taken off feed a minimum of 12 hrs before transportation for improved presentation and hygiene. The livestock transport accreditation programme also has some strict requirements, it requires trucks to have effluent tanks and dispose of waste responsibly. All animals transported in New Zealand have to have an Animal Status Declaration, similar to the AML form but with some very different questions e.g. have the animals been imported, have they been fed anything other than milk and pasture!
I was surprised that the plant only runs for about 6 months  most years with peak season lasting 4 months, with the boning rooms working an extra few months. However the scale of this site allows it to be very efficient when it is running. Carcasses can be allocated to chillers and boning rooms according to fresh lamb, aged lamb, chilled lamb, mutton or portion cutting and carcass weight and fat score to make sure waste is reduced. Meat leaves the site in containers on energy efficient rail and international transport mostly by sea freight.