NEW ZEALAND'S RIVAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 231, 30 September 1929, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND'S RIVAL.

ARGENTINE BEEF EXPORTS. ON THE WANE. •It is well known that the chief competitor this Dominion has to face in selling meat on the London market is Argentina, which has almost monopolised the business in beef. While the great South American republic is increasing its exports of lamb, those of beef have been decreasing and at least one notable authority looks upon the reduction as likely to be permanent. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Co. the chairman of directors, Mr. J. E. Makgill, quoted from a series of articles contributed to the "London Times" by his kinsman, Sir William Haldane. After quoting figures showing the fall of Argentine beef exports in recent years, Sir .William says there is evidence of the shrinkage in Argentine slaughtering continuing fairly rapidly during this year (1929). He goes into the reasons for these reductions and amongst these .reasons, as given by the Argentine people themselves, is "the unremunerative returns for fattening cattle compared with grain production," also, "the loss, trouble and anxiety due to the disclosure of the prevalence of foot and mouth disease," and that, "as in other countries, sheep paying better than cattle in the market conditions prevailing in recent years, have been ousting their large rival from the pastures." He quotes export reports from Argentine sources, in one of which it is stated: "Far from it being the case that the shortage in Argentine exportation of beef is temporary, or arises from fortuitous circumstances, it is the general opinion in stock breeding circles in this country that we have reached and passed the maximum of our beef exporting capacity." After giving figures relative to numbers and weights and sex of the 1928 killings of cattle for export in Argentine, the summing up is that the cattle shrinkage in Argentine "is permanent and proceeding definitely and rapidly," partly through "the slaughtering of breeding stocks in the reduction of herds."