Sustainable Meats

Most people agree that as a species we need to reduce meat consumption in order to reduce global greenhouse emissions. Projects such as Meatless Monday encourage us to cut the meat, one day a week in order to reduce our personal emissions from meat production by 15%. For those who do chose to eat meat, there are also options for how to do so more sustainably.

Globally, the term ‘sustainable meat’ often refers to grass fed meat. Here in New Zealand we are blessed with a climate that allows animals to be grazed outdoors year round. Going beyond the grass fed definition, sustainable meat can include local, organic, free range, non-caged, wild/game meats, meat from animals not fed antibiotics, choosing animals that don’t produce methane and animals grazed using holistic grazing methods.

Venture Taranaki run a Regenerative Agriculture program, with Fiona Young from Taranaki Regenerative Agriculture leading the charge locally to bring new ways of farming to the Taranaki community. She also hosts the Taranaki Regen Ag Facebook group.

We encourage you to ask your local butchers where their meat comes from and request local and organic products where available. It’s also a good opportunity to ask about bringing your own clean reusable containers for meat to be put into.

Where to buy organic & free range meat

  • Bratwurst Bros - Urenui. Bratwurst Bros make all natural German sausages from NZ Pork, fresh Herbs, and spices at their butchery in Urenui.

  • Down to Earth - New Plymouth. Down to Earth supply a range of organic meats and chicken.

  • Egmont Seafoods - New Plymouth. Egmont Seafoods land fish from a number of small boats who fish out of Port Taranaki.

  • G & J Fish Supplies - Local fish sold at the farmers market on Sundays.

  • Green Meadows Beef - Opunake. The Carey family founded Green Meadows Beef in 2012 to provide the grass-fed Angus beef they farmed straight to consumers.

If you know of other stockists/retailers/suppliers/services or all round fantastic sustainable sources please let us know so that we can include them.