I love my Alpacas, 4 of the cutest mowers I have ever owned. Question is, would I turn Irving, Woody, Walt and Louie – my boys - into tonight's dinner?

Farming alpacas has been a cottage/hobby industry in New Zealand since the late 1980's. I am sure you have come across the ubiquitous "alpaca scarves" sold in craft shops. How many scarves does one need, especially up here in the winterless north?

Alpaca farmers have been very busy over the last few years developing innovative ways to grow, spin and weave the luxurious fleeces of these amazing animals. As a result they are starting to produce fine woollen yarns to rival the softness of the best cashmere and merino. This has the potential to take the New Zealand industry beyond craft and into high fashion.  Louis Vuitton and Versace are showcasing alpaca fibre from Peru on the runways of Paris and Milan. Designers are on wait lists as mills in Europe and Asia rush to buy up Peru's supply.

This has great potential for New Zealand Breeders, but they would need to increase flock numbers to produce enough fibre to be competitive. The downside of the breeding programmes to build stock numbers with the genetics to produce the finest fibre possible, is the oversupply of males. This is managed by culling, selling males as pets – how I found my boys, or sending them to pet food manufacturers.  For the industry to reach its full potential the whole animal needs to be utilised, fleece, skins and meat.

In 2014 Australians ate 32 tonnes of alpaca, resulting in producers gaining hundreds of thousands of dollars, from sales to restaurants and specialty butcher shops. Alpaca meat has half the saturated fat and a third less cholesterol than beef, and the lowest calories of any land-based meat. It is tender and mild tasting. There are only 2 abattoirs licenced to process alpacas in New Zealand. Mesa Meat Company of Hawke's Bay, produces 100% New Zealand gourmet Alpaca meat products, from prime cuts to a range of small goods, such as sausages, burger patties, pies and meatballs, sold to restaurants, home chefs and speciality meat outlets throughout New Zealand. The prices range from $50 kg for tenderloins to $15 kg for mince.

I have yet to try alpaca meat but would have no issue eating it at a restaurant some time. However the possibility of one of the boys becoming dinner tonight seems remote, although if that Irving gets me with another direct hit when he is having a spit, he better look out.

Last word from the boys is, we are ALPACAS, please don't call us Llamas.

PKF Poutsma Lemon Limited

Janice Simpson