The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1942. OUTLOOK OF THE MEAT INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 33, 3 November 1942, Page 4

The Dominion. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1942. OUTLOOK OF THE MEAT INDUSTRY

A year ago the Minister of Marketing, in a broadcast address, outlined the comprehensive plan for the marketing of meat which had been agreed upon at a series of conferences. It placed the seasonal operations on a clearly defined basis, and had the added advantage of making known the steps taken to assist the producers concerned in the marketing of ewe mutton. The plan worked smoothly throughout the year and the heavy shipments which the Dominion was able to make not' only kept the position sound, but also lifted from the shoulders of the Government the weight of financial responsibility for stocks, in excess 'of the total quantity which the British Government had agreed to purchase, as well as the joint liability under the surpluses agreement. For the current season, Mr. Barclay announced on Saturday evening, the opening schedules will be practically unchanged, and that should ensure the stability which all sections of the industry desire. The industry faces a killing season which will present difficulties all along the line, from the farm to the shipment of meat and its delivery in overseas ports. The chief problems will be labour and transport, and that makes it essential that there should be, as far as possible, a steady movement, for any rush must inevitably cause trouble. In an effort to ensure the requisite regular volume of supply the Meat Producers’ Board has appealed to farmers to dispatch their lambs to the works as early as possible. It is practically certain that the works will be short-handed and that will mean an inability to deal with heavy deliveries in a short period, so that there will be the risk of a loss both of weight and quality due to delay. Shortage of labour on the farms will create difficulties, and the transport of stock to the works will be no easy matter. Local transport committees throughout the Dominion will control this _part of the operations, and with their detailed knowledge of the conditions ruling, the best use no doubt will be made of whatever facilities are available. The railway services will be organized so as. to afford every possible assistance, and there is a distinct advantage in the knowledge the individual farmer can obtain of the provisions that can be made for the handling of his stock. If deliveries are made early and regularly then the staffs at the meat works will be able to do their best to avoid delay. The uncertainty regarding shipping is a matter outside the power of any person or organization here to remove, but it will be admitted that whatever refrigerated space becomes available must be used to the limit. In that way the possibility of stocks accumulating at the works will be reduced. It may not be possible to prevent some congestion at the peak of the season, but early deliveries of lamb, precedent to prompt shipment, would do something to avoid that state of affairs, and so be in the best interests of producers and industry alike. It will take a sustained combined effort on the part of all concerned in the industry, and in the services that are essential to its smooth, running, if the difficulties of the season are to be dealt with effectively, and the part of the producers, the delivery of stock as early as possible, is not the least of the problems to be faced. If the works are able to commence killing new season’s lambs earlier than usual then that will provide a wider spread and help to reduce, if not prevent, the possibility of serious congestion later on. Such a course will also, obviously, bring the problem of transport within more manageable proportions. The whole process starts with the delivery of the stock and that, apart from seasonal handicaps, is largely a matter for individual initiative. Once early delivery has been made the killing, the carriage of the meat to the ports, and the loading can go ahead. They are for the most part matters of organization, and although- each stage may present difficulties a steady flow would do much to overcome them.