Beef + Lamb New Zealand

What Beef + Lamb New Zealand does

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is a farmer-funded industry body, established in 1950, that operates under a statutory mandate (Commodity Levies Meat Order 2021) to invest levy income on behalf of New Zealand sheep and beef farmers. It serves approximately 9,165 levy-paying farms spanning eight farm classes, with headquarters in Wellington and an R&D presence in Dunedin. Its remit covers extension services, on-farm productivity research, market development, and policy advocacy for the red-meat sector.

B+LNZ's core product surface includes B+LNZ Genetics (supported by a ~20-person team) and the NZGE (National Genetic Evaluation) engine, which underpins the nProve ram selection tool. The organisation also maintains a Knowledge Hub of approximately 4,600 pages and 220+ hours of multimedia, seven interactive farm management tools, and the e-diary platform (marking 25 years in 2026). In 2025 it launched Bella, an AI assistant designed to make the Knowledge Hub content interactively accessible to farmers. Subsidiaries include B+LNZ Genetics, B+LNZ Recipes, and Making Meat Better.

The business model is non-commercial: B+LNZ is funded by compulsory levies on livestock processed in New Zealand rather than by subscription or licensing revenue. Its primary customer segments are commercial sheep and beef farmers, with growing engagement of dairy-beef operators (via DairyNZ partnership) and Māori agribusiness. Kate Acland serves as Chair, and the organisation maintains a 75-year archive of farm survey data that underpins its research and policy work.

Name

Beef + Lamb New Zealand

Legal name

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Limited

Website

https://beeflambnz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Beef + Lamb New Zealand is a farmer-funded, statutory levy body serving approximately 9,165 sheep and beef farms across New Zealand through genetic evaluation tools, extension services, and an AI-powered knowledge hub, with Kate Acland as Chair.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Industry Organization

NAICS

Sheep and Goat Farming (1124)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Beef Cattle Grazing & Pasture-Based Operations (AFAEABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sheep Farming (Wool & Meat) (AFAEAFAA)

Keywords

• Farmer levy organization
• Sheep beef extension
• Livestock genetic evaluation
• Farm benchmarking tools
• Red meat advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Commodity Levies on Sheep, Beef and Dairy Cattle: B+LNZ is funded and directed by farmers via commodity levies paid on all sheep, beef and dairy cattle processed in New Zealand. This is mandated under the Commodity Levies Meat Order 2021. The levy funds all core activities including research, genetics, advocacy, market development, extension services, and economic reporting. This is a statutory industry-good funding mechanism, not a commercial revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Beef + Lamb New Zealand is a farmer-funded industry organization (industry good body) representing New Zealand's sheep and beef farmers. It is funded by statutory commodity levies paid on all sheep, beef, and dairy cattle processed in New Zealand and delivers research, genetics, advocacy, market development, economic intelligence, and a nationwide extension network of regional managers supporting farmers with on-farm and digital tools.

Product overview

Beef + Lamb New Zealand operates as a farmer-funded industry organization offering a comprehensive digital platform for New Zealand sheep and beef farmers. The core product portfolio includes the main website (beeflambnz.com) providing industry data, advocacy, and market information, supplemented by a suite of interactive tools on tools.beeflambnz.com including the Profitability Calculator, Lambing Calculator, Benchmarking Tool, Meat Export Tool, Meat and Wool Calculator, Sheep Calendar, and Bizplan. The organization also provides genetic tools through nProve and the NZ Genetic Evaluation system, the Bella AI assistant for Knowledge Hub access, and the Sheep and Beef Farm Survey for industry benchmarking. Additional programmes include Generation Next for young farmers and Focus Groups for peer learning. All tools and resources are accessible through B+LNZ online accounts, with data sourced from the organization's farm survey dating back to 1950.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Knowledge Hub
• Bella (Beef + Lamb Assistant)
• Sheep and Beef Farm Survey
• nProve
• Dairy Beef Progeny Test
• Sheep Calendar
• Profitability Calculator
• Lambing Calculator
• Benchmarking Tool
• Meat Export Tool
• Meat and Wool Calculator
• Bizplan (Business Planning Tool)
• Generation Next Programme
• Focus Groups
• Quintile Analysis Reports

Quantifiable outcome

• Out the Gate 2026 drew ~700 farmers and rural professionals — described as B+LNZ's biggest event yet
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AgResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgResearch contributed to the development of the FlockMaster programme in 2007, which forms the basis of B+LNZ's Sheep Calendar planning tool. The collaboration brought together sheep production expertise and agricultural science to create a practical farm planning resource.
• Massey UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB+LNZ Genetics works with Massey University in genetics research and extension. The neXtgen Agri trans-Tasman livestock genetics consulting firm, led by Dr Mark Ferguson (PhD in genetics, 30+ years in livestock breeding), collaborates with B+LNZ on progeny testing and breeding decision support.
• neXtgen AgricoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerneXtgen Agri is a Trans-Tasman livestock genetics consulting firm with 14 independent specialists across Australia and NZ. Works with B+LNZ Genetics on progeny testing, breeding decision grounded in evidence, and hosts the Head Shepherd podcast.
• SIL (New Zealand Sheep Genetics)coreTechnology or IntegrationSIL is the platform for performance-recording sheep breeders who generate EBVs through the New Zealand Genetic Evaluation (NZGE) system. B+LNZ Genetics directs breeders to SIL for advanced breeder resources and EBV generation.
• ANZCO FoodsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerANZCO Foods is a major NZ red meat exporter and processor. They co-sponsored the Tasman Farming for Profit Field Day (providing the closing BBQ) and the Hawke's Bay Farming for Profit Field Day.
• No8HRcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNo8HR is an HR and people management consultancy that partners with B+LNZ to deliver People Management Focus Groups and the 'Strong Leadership, Great People Workshop.' They bring leadership development expertise specifically tailored to the agri-sector.
• Farm FocuscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFarm Focus is a farm accounting software provider. B+LNZ partners with them to deliver 'Mastering your Farm Financials' workshops teaching farmers how to best use farm accounting software (compatible with Farm Focus, Figured, and Xero).
• DairyNZminorGTM or Marketing PartnerB+LNZ co-branded the 'On the Front Foot Workshop: Building Great Farm Teams' with DairyNZ and the Wairarapa Economic Development Strategy (WEDS), combining sheep/beef and dairy extension expertise.
• RabobankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRabobank (through Jen Corkran, agri market commentator and co-author of RaboResearch's NZ agribusiness monthly) partnered with B+LNZ for the 'Red Meat Sector Outlook: Markets, Returns & Representation Dinners' covering global outlook, farm-gate returns, and the 2027 referendum.
• Rural Youth & Adult Literacy TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerB+LNZ seeks guidance from the Rural Youth & Adult Literacy Trust on accessibility and Plain English communication, helping ensure information is available in formats suitable for farmers with varying literacy levels.
• New Zealand Meat BoardcoreTechnology or IntegrationAll meat exporters must be registered with the NZ Meat Board under the Meat Board Act 2004. B+LNZ's Meat Export Tool uses aggregated export data provided by exporters registered through this system, sourced from NZ Customs Service.
• New Zealand Customs ServicecoreTechnology or IntegrationB+LNZ's Meat Export Tool uses export data submitted by meat exporters to the NZ Customs Service. Monthly data for sheep meat and beef (Chapter 2 HS) is processed and released by B+LNZ.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Teagasc: Ireland's agriculture and food development authority — a statutory body delivering research, advisory (extension), and education services to Irish farmers. Highly comparable to B+LNZ in the combination of research + field-extension + economic analysis, though Teagasc is state-funded rather than producer-levy-funded.
• Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF): Ireland's national cattle breeding and genetics evaluation body — directly comparable to B+LNZ Genetics in running a national genetic evaluation infrastructure and translating EBVs for farmer decision-making. Operates a similar 'national genetics database + farmer-facing tools' stack.
• Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA): Australian statutory levy-funded industry body for red meat producers — the closest international analogue to B+LNZ. MLA operates the same producer-funded model covering cattle, sheep, and goats across Australia, with parallel functions in R&D, marketing, and extension. Highly comparable in mandate, funding mechanism, and product breadth.
• DairyNZ: NZ's sister industry-good body for dairy farmers — directly analogous statutory levy-funded structure under the Commodity Levies Milk Order. DairyNZ delivers research, extension, advocacy, and benchmarking for NZ dairy farmers and is named as a B+LNZ co-marketing partner on joint workshops, making it the most natural peer.
• Hybu Cig Cymru / Meat Promotion Wales: Welsh statutory red meat industry development body funded by levy on Welsh sheep and beef producers. Delivers market development, research dissemination, and training for Welsh red meat — directly analogous to B+LNZ in mandate and funding model, though smaller in scale.
• Federated Farmers of New Zealand: NZ's voluntary-membership farmer advocacy organisation — directly comparable in farmer-political-advocacy function, though funded via member subscriptions rather than statutory levies. A natural peer for B+LNZ's advocacy and policy work in Wellington.
• Quality Meat Scotland (QMS): Statutory levy-funded industry body representing Scottish red meat producers (cattle and sheep). Operates the same producer-funded model covering research, marketing, and economic analysis for Scotland's beef and lamb supply chain. Smaller scale than B+LNZ but structurally identical.

Others

• RaboResearch (Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research): Rabobank's global food and agribusiness research arm — partnered with B+LNZ on red-meat sector outlook events. Comparable in producing commodity and farm-economics intelligence for primary producers, though it is a commercial bank's research function rather than a levy-funded body.
• AgResearch: NZ Crown Research Institute specialising in pastoral agriculture science. Direct collaborator with B+LNZ on FlockMaster (2007) and ongoing genetics research — a strategic R&D partner rather than a competitor, but its research outputs feed B+LNZ's extension pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB): UK statutory levy-funded body covering multiple agricultural sectors (beef, lamb, pork, cereals, dairy, potatoes). Comparable to B+LNZ in levy-funded structure and research/market-development remit, but operates as a much broader portfolio rather than specialising in the sheep-and-beef niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NZBeefLamb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beef + Lamb New Zealand