Pork Sales Recover; Losses Unknown

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30956, 12 January 1966, Page 1

Pork Sales Recover; Losses Unknown

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, January 11. Overseas and internal pig meat sales have returned to normal after the marketing losses which resulted from the discovery of trichinosis in pork in the Auckland province. Australia, formerly the principal buyer, is the only country not to have removed a ban on pig meat imports from New Zealand, but alternative markets have been found.

No precise figure of financial losses after the announcement last April of the discovery of the disease has been settled, but Government sources indicated today that it was likely to amount to several thousand pounds. According to officials the loss is not as high as was originally expected because sales in the United Kingdom before Christmas exceeded expectations.

The effect of the bans imposed by many countries is reflected in the fact that 3542 tons of meat were available for export in the. last year to November 30, but only 1363 tons were sold overseas during the period. Officials said imports of New Zealand pig meats were

now permitted in to the principal markets of the United Kingdom, the West Indies, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Belgium. The governments of these countries prohibited imports after the discovery of the disease.

They lifted the restriction, after guarantees that all pig meat exported would be frozen for 21 days at a specific temperature before it was sent overseas.

Talks took place in Wellington, last month between the Australian Minister of Agriculture (Mr Aderman) and the chairman of the Pig Producers’ Council (Mr R. T. Davis). As a result, there was considerable hope that this ban too would be lifted within the next six months, officials said. In the 1963-64 marketing year, Australia accepted 1898 tons of the 4883 tons of pork exported from New Zx-aland. Last year the figure was 240 tons of 1363 tons. The fall in sales meant that at the end of the pig marketing year there was an export surplus in storage of about 2000 tons. About 800 tons of this surplus was sold on the United Kingdom

market in the pre-Christmas period and the remainder was gone on other traditional markets.

Prices were not high, officials said today. The markets were in favour of the buyers. They said producers had not suffered serious financial losses as a result of price stabilisation moves including the underwriting of the pig schedule by the Government. This underwriting scheme lasted from May 1 to September 30.

A close check on pig carcases was being maintained at freezing works throughout the country, but no further cases of trichinosis had been found since it was discovered last June in two pigs from the Mangakino area.