N.Z. MEAT EXPORT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 189, 27 August 1937, Page 5

N.Z. MEAT EXPORT

-Press Association.)

Strive for Quality, Board Chairman Urges REGULATION OF SUPPLIES

i By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, This Day. The annual meeting of the New Zeai land Meat Producers' Board is being held to-day. Mr T. A. Duncan, in hi3 address as chairman, said that the board had exereised dts usual care in the regulation of supplies of meat going forward to the British market. This had been exceedingly difficult this year. owing to the latoness of the seasom Careful consideration ha'd also been given to the spreading of supplies over as wide a geographical area as possible in Britain, having regard to the. eapacities of the xespective markets. Speaking of the quality of meat, he said that the premium enjoyed by New Zealand lamb over other imported Iamb, if calculated on the whple putput, would amount to a very considerable annual sum. Every .endeavour must be made by farmers to see that ' thie premium was maintaine.d or increased,

especially as other countries were gradually improving their quality. The more prime-quality meat New Zealand could ship, the greater would be the permanen't asset thereby created in the enhanced xeputation of the Dominion 's meat. He commended the interest being taken by farmers -in the distriet lamb competition and referred to the .useful work A. .and P. associations and freezing companies were doing in arranging field days and co-operating with the board in" connection .with the competition. He gave the "chilled-beef export figures ±"or 1935-36 as 144.169 quartew, an.d for the 1936-37 season, he said, it was estimated that they would xeaeh approximately 200,000 quarters. He einpiiasised that there was room for improved quality and that it was imperative that cattle sent along to the works should be thoroughly finished off. The questi.on of adequate facilities to meet fuliy the requirements of this .trade, having regard, to future expansion, had been for some time engagin g the atten-. tion qf the board, which was in. close touch with freezing companies, shipping compani.es and the Railway Department. With regard to pork, he said that it was pleasing to note that the Depart-. ment of Agriculture had introduced » national seheme for development of th® pig industry, which would be availabl® to all farmers. The practical and qualified instruetive service should do much to improve the general type and quality of pigs. New Zealand porker pigs were particularly well thought of on tho Smithfield market; in fact, in tho opinion of the trade there was no better quality coming to that market, There* was room for improvement in baconers, and the boar.d was of the opinion that the time was opportune for the standard of grading of baconers ic- be revised. The new freight contract, which com» inenccd on September 1 of last year^ t for frozen and chilled meat and dairy produce represented approximately a 2i por cent. increaso converted into sterling and payable in sterling in London. 'l'he chairman went on to refer to the imports-allocation agreement recently entered into with the United Kingdoui Government and to the United Kingdom treaty with the Argentine, and he also referred to the aetive prosecution of the advertifcipg campaign and research woik.