Mediaboss Marketing

GERARD HUTCHING

Last updated18:00, May 12 2017

CAMERON BURNELL/FAIRFAX NZ.

New Zealand lamb is about to be exported to Iran for the first time in decades.

New Zealand is about to resume shipments of lamb to Iran, after a gap of two decades.

On May 22 Wellington processor Taylor Preston will ship a modest 60 tonnes of frozen cuts to mark the resumption of the trade.

Taylor Preston chief executive Simon Gatenby said the company was looking to do more business with Iran.

CAMERON BURNELL/FAIRFAX NZ

A worker processes lamb for export to Iran at the Taylor Preston plant in Wellington.

"The reason we're doing this is to develop the trade, it's a nice easy order to start with, it allows us to get a bit of volume into the market and allow it to be tested."

READ MORE: *Exporters aim to revive lucrative Iran sheepmeat trade *Sheep and beef farm profits on the rise after last season's dip

Farmers supplying the late season lambs were being paid a premium of $6.10 per kilogram.

STR

Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran on his return from exile in 1979. Later in the year he met with a New Zealand delegation and subsequently the meat trade burgeoned.

New Zealand's largest meat processing company Silver Fern Farms is in talks with Iranian officials, but shipments are not likely until the new season.

The trade was in its heyday in the 1980s when there were 22 sheep for every Kiwi, and high volume markets were desperately needed. Back then Iran took more than 100,000 tonnes of frozen carcasses a year, or one lamb in four.

The renewed trade follows a February visit by Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy who signed a veterinary agreement to enable chilled and frozen lamb and beef exports to the Islamic Republic.

CAMERON BURNELL/FAIRFAX NZ

Workers divide a carcass into six for the Iranian market.

Relations have warmed since international sanctions against Tehran were eased after an accord was reached in 2015 on Iran's nuclear programme, at a time when New Zealand held the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

Gatenby said the lamb would be sold for retail and domestic consumption.

"We've sold the Iranians essentially a full carcass but we've broken it into six main primal cuts - two legs, two loins and two shoulders," Gatenby said.

Taylor Preston CEO Simon Gatenby.

Meat Industry Association chief executive Tim Ritchie said Iran was significant because it was where New Zealand had "cut its teeth" in developing the capacity and expertise to service the needs of Muslim customers.

"Currently some 25 per cent of our exports are halal certified, of which around one-third is destined for the Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia where it is a condition of market access; and the other two-thirds is destined for Muslim customers in non-Muslim countries such as China."

Ritchie said when he visited Iran with the minister, Iranian officials and businesses were "very keen" to do trade with New Zealand.

Lamb exports to Iran 1975-98.

"They import around 100,000 tonnes of red meat a year - 10 per cent of their consumption. The great majority of those imports are beef from Brazil and they are therefore keen to lift the lamb component."

Iran was a significant market of nearly 80 million people. Because New Zealand meat marketing is now much more diversified, exporting to 120 countries, the trade would not reach the levels it used to.

In the 1970s and 1980s New Zealand exporters and officials had to navigate difficult political waters as they negotiated trade deals.

In 1979, the year of the Iranian revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini agreed to meet a New Zealand delegation which wanted to assure the Iranians that it could guarantee halal meat.

"The Ayatollah looked frail and tired, but his eyes had great power," observed the Meat Board's marketing manager John Stoddart.

The deal foundered in the mid-80s as the oil-rich country insisted on paying for the lamb in barrels of oil but for a short time the trade was a lifesaver for the meat industry.

It finally petered out in 1998 as sheep numbers and production dropped, other markets were paying better prices (Europe, North America), and more emphasis was going in to producing cuts (frozen, then chilled) rather than carcasses.

-Stuff

More:
New Zealand exporters resume lamb trade with Iran - Stuff.co.nz

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Felex ShareSenior Reporter The outstanding political relations between Zimbabwe and Iran should lay the foundation for strong trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, the Iranian envoy has said.Speaking after meeting Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices yesterday, Iranian ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Ahmad Erfanian said trade volumes between the two countries should be increased.

We spoke about the excellent relations between Zimbabwe and Iran, he said. As you may be aware, the relations between the two countries date back to before the time Zimbabwe got independence.

During the last three decades of cooperation, four Iranian Presidents have visited Zimbabwe and President Mugabe has also visited Iran four times.

The two countries have managed to overcome the trade sanctions imposed on them by Western countries, he said.

Said Mr Erfanian: We have excellent political relations and I think its a good foundation for strengthening our bilateral, trade and economic relations.

We emphasised on the different fields of cooperation like science and technology, education, mining and agriculture. We believe that we can do a lot during my stay here and with the help of the Government of Zimbabwe, we can do a lot, especially in trade and economy.

Mr Erfanian said significant progress had been made in tobacco trade.

I can tell you that a contract was signed between an Iranian tobacco company and a Zimbabwean tobacco company for about $4,2 million, he said. We bought tobacco from Zimbabwe and the second contract was signed between the two companies recently. I hope we will be able to sign more contracts in this field.

Mr Erfanian went on: Concerning tractors, Iran is one of the countries that manufactures tractors. I spoke with one of the companies and if the Zimbabwean company is ready, there are a lot of tractors in Iran.

Zimbabwe intends to assemble tractors with the assistance of Iran.

In the field of education, Mr Erfanian said Iran had granted Zimbabwe students a number of scholarships to study various disciplines in Tehran.

View original post here:
Acting President Mnangagwa meets Iran envoy - The Herald

People inspect a hospital, damaged following an air strike a rebel-controlled town in the eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on May 1, 2017.

Russia is seeking to convince the U.S. to accept an Iranian role in a plan for foreign troops to police safe zones in Syria as a step toward ending the six-year war.

The U.S. and Iran must show compromise and flexibility in helping to secure the so-called de-escalation zones proposed by Russia to shore up a Syrian cease-fire, President Vladimir Putins Middle East envoy, Mikhail Bogdanov, told reporters in Sochi on Thursday. Russia is trying to mediate between the U.S. and Iran, though its under no illusions about the difficulties, he said.

Does anyone think Iran is going to leave this region and Syria, as if you could wave a magic wand and Iran would disappear? Bogdanov said. Thats not going to happen.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday that he hoped the U.S. would make an active contribution to securing the safe zones. Lavrov suggested the U.S. may initiate the process in southern Syria near the borders with Israel and Jordan. Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum on creating four zones at talks involving the Syrian government and opposition groups in Kazakhstans capital, Astana, last week.

Russia believes the U.S. should help to enforce the cease-fire in Syria, though it would have to gain approval from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to deploy any troops to safe zones, Bogdanov said. Trumps pragmatic approach as a businessman who loves practical results is encouraging Russia to hope that life eventually puts everything in its place to help end the conflict, he said.

While the U.S. recognizes the parts played by Russia and Turkey in the Astana peace process, it regards Iran as having an unconstructive role in the region that it cant praise under any circumstances, Bogdanov said. A compromise that enables U.S. and Iranian forces to help control separate safe zones in Syria requires additional political and diplomatic efforts and Russia will continue to work, he said.

Get the latest on global politics in your inbox, every day.

Get our newsletter daily.

Assad managed to turn the tide of war in his favor after Russia started an air campaign in September 2015, while Iran is an uncompromising supporter of the Syrian leader. Continued fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels backed by the U.S. and its allies including Turkey and Saudi Arabia stand in the way of a political settlement. The conflict has killed an estimated 400,000 people and sent millions more fleeing.

Putin said after talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi last week that hed secured Trumps backing for the plan to establish safe zones. Russia has long urged the U.S. to join forces with it in Syria. But Trumps campaign pledge to cooperate with Putin on defeating Islamic State has run into resistance from Republicans and Democrats who are pushing for a harder line toward Moscow over its meddling in the U.S. election, support for Assad and interference in Ukraine.

Read the original post:
Russia Seeks Accord With U.S. on Iran Role in Syria Safe Zones - Bloomberg

New York Times

Iran Leader Vows 'Slap in the Face' for Election Disruptions New York Times Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, arriving at a graduation ceremony for Revolutionary Guards cadets in Tehran on Wednesday. At the ceremony, he warned that anyone wanting to take any measure against the country's security in the election ... and more »

Read more here:
Iran Leader Vows 'Slap in the Face' for Election Disruptions - New York Times

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- - A dog seriously injured in Iran is getting a second chance at life in San Diego.

Negar Mirgoli, co-founder of PAWS4Thoughts Animal Rescue, says she rescued a dog named Silver when she was visiting family in Iran.

Mirgoli says someone killed Silver's mom and the rest of her puppies, but somehow Silver survived. The dog is now paralyzed.

"She was left for dead," Mirgoli said. "She didn't have a chance, really, staying back in Iran there wasn't really a chance for her."

Mirgoli brought the 18-month-old Israeli herding dog back to San Diego.

"She literally landed a week ago Wednesday," Mirgoli said. "At LAX the elevator door opens, they push the kennel out, and I'm like 'Ok, I have five bags and a dog. What am I going to do?'"

Babs and Derek Fry offered to foster Silver until she finds her forever home.

"This all happened to her when she was eight weeks old," Babs said. "You know, I get choked up because everything for this dog is new. She has never been outside, she has never been on a car ride, she has never played with a toy."

"Well she just has a heart of gold," Derek said. "She's just a very, very sweet soul."

Despite everything she's been through, Silver continues to heal and learn to love. She was fitted with a wheelchair and is learning to walk using it.

Mirgoli says it's her goal to go back and get more dogs out of Iran.

"The rescuers in Iran, I've been sending them videos and they're over the moon," she said. "The fact that they're like 'this dog made it out.'"

You can donate to help Silver's medical bills here: https://www.gofundme.com/savingoursilver

You can also follow her progress here: https://www.facebook.com/SilversJourney/

Read this article:
Woman rescues dog from Iran - 10News