Pelt Boom Keeps Lamb Prices Up

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30959, 15 January 1966, Page 14

Pelt Boom Keeps Lamb Prices Up

Although prices for new season’s lambs are falling in Britain, the price to farmers in New Zealand remains unchanged because of a boom in lamb pelts.

This year the world's fashion-conscious women will again wear suede jackets, hats, stoles, coats and dresses made from lamb skin. Overseas fashion houses want as much suede leather as they can get and are paying record prices. This counteracts the fall in meat prices—which declined by 2d to 3d per lb for lightweight lambs up to 361 b since the middle of December. One freezing company said yesterday that he could not remember lamb pelt prices being so high. This week some Southland

lamb pelts brought 165 s a dozen. Southland pelts bring the highest prices in the country—“they have got the spread and substance,” according to one representative. Canterbury pelts are also selling well. TTiis week clean pelts were bringing 155 s a dozen, compared with 90s a year ago. In the 1947-48 season when prices were fixed South Island farmers received only 32s 3d a dozen.

Although current prices are exceptionally high, not all farmers get the top prices. Seed-contaminated pelts are sold at discounts of 20s or more a dozen. About 35 per cent of pelts at Islington are seedy and the oercentage is expected to increase. Some districts have higher percentages of seedy nelts—in Marlborough up to 65 to 75. The bulk of the pelts go to the United States.