Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for coming to Wellington today for this launch.

Thanks to MAF for hosting this launch, and greetings to Tim Ritchie, Conor English and Scott Champion, my fellow speakers.

Those of you who heard me address the Meat & Wool AGM in March will know that I'm pretty optimistic about the primary industries - and particularly the meat sector.

The industry representatives in this room collectively manage about $4.6 billion in merchandise exports, and this is understandably important for New Zealand.

Today, we're here to acknowledge the importance of the meat industry, and launch "Meat: The Future".

Reading the meat sector study, I have been pleased with what I've seen.

The study - and in particular the Delphi survey - shows a sector that recognises that change is both necessary and desirable.

With land prices no longer buoyant, the days of low-margin sheep and beef farms getting by on capital gains from land values alone are over for the time being.

But the study also reveals a degree of optimism; two-thirds of those surveyed agreed that the meat sector would be a good investment in 15 years' time.

From my point of view, the real bonus is the importance given by those involved with the meat sector to investment in research and development.

This is an area that the Government is giving real priority to as well.

For the past 20 years, we as a nation haven't invested enough in primary sector research and development.

This is why the Government has made a substantial and ongoing commitment through the Primary Growth Partnership.

For those not familiar with the numbers involved, the PGP means an investment of $30 million in 2009/10, rising to $70 million from 2012/13 and out years.

This will be matched by industry, meaning up to $140 million per year going into primary sector innovation, research and development.

PGP investments must be market-driven and must focus on delivering economic growth and sustainability across the primary sectors, from producers to consumers.

Of course, the PGP alone won't deliver the levels of profitability and efficiency needed to bring about this meat sector study's most optimistic scenarios.

Change in the meat sector will only be lasting if it is driven from within the sector.

This means competing entities needing to see the value of working more collaboratively for the common good.

Farmers also have a vital role to play in collectively driving the future strategic direction of the meat industry.

Farmers own the significant bulk of the assets in the sector: not just through farm ownership but also through their shareholdings in co-operative and non-co-operative processing companies alike.

I challenge farmers to think about where they want their industry to be in 10 to 15 years time and how they can take steps to achieve this vision, working of course with the other parts of the sector.

But I'm not here to dictate how the industry should proceed, and neither does the meat sector study lay out a plan of action for industry.

Solutions need to driven by industry, for industry.

But I take this opportunity to offer my total commitment to working with the meat sector as it faces the challenges of the next 15 years.

Thank you.