MUTTON AND LAMB

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 163, 28 July 1937, Page 13

MUTTON AND LAMB

New Zealand's Prestige at Smithfield MAINTAINING , QUALITY Quality had been the watchword employed by the New Zealand Meat Board in its publicity in Great Britain. The board, in its annual report, however, states that it behoved New Zealand to strain every effort not only to maintain her present euperiority an quality but to improve on it if possible. The Dominion 's competitors were making noticeable improvement an their best lambs, and it would be fatal for New Zealand to rest on her laurels. Last year the Imperial Economic Committee at Home issued a very xmportant mutton and lamb survey, being a summary of production and trade in the Empire and foreign countries. The following extract, taken from this report, is of particular anterest to every New Zealand sheepfarmer: — "New Zealand products obtain in the United Kingdom a premium over those of other mutton and lamb exporting countries, due to the faet that her sheep conform closely to the popular English mutton breeds, to the strict grading, and to the reputation which her mutton and lamb enjoy." "Every endeavour must be made by the farmers of this Dominion," contin^ ues the report, "to see that this premium is maintained or mcreased, especially as other countries are gradually iinproving their quality. Under such conditions of ancreasing competition in respeet of quality our relative superiority would tend to disappear unless further eft'orts are made. New Zealand can ill alford to lose isight of the fact that her reputation has been built and maintained on quality, and it cannot be stressed too much that we must maintain that quality at all~costs, and thereby hold our supremacy in the mutton and lamb trade of the world. The nioru prinie quality meat we cfin ship, the greater will be the permanent asset we shall thereby create in.the enhanced reputation of the Dominion 's meat. "The distriet fat lamb competition inaugurated by the boara with the object of dmproving the quality of export lambs has proved to be of great educative value to farmers, and serves as an excellent medium for advertising our lambs when displayed on the stalls in Smithfield. The large gatherings of farmers at the freezing works where the lambs are treated prior to being shipped Home, demonstrate the interest which is now being taken in this competition throughout the Dominion. ''The board would again take the opportunity of referring to the most useful work the agricultural and pastoral aasociations and freezing companies are doing dn arranging these field days in connection with the competition, and generally co-operating with the board in handling all details. In addition to the distrdct fat laiub competition, the board offers substantial prizes at the annual royal show with a view to encouraging further improvement in the quality of our fat stock."