MEAT PRICES IN ENGLAND.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 152, 30 September 1926, Page 6

MEAT PRICES IN ENGLAND.

AN INTERESTING REVIEW. The following is an extract from a letter dated 30th July received from the London manager of the New Zealand Meat Producers Board:— Lamb.—Since I last wrote the market has been very weak and prices have shown a further drop. In view of the industrial situation resulting from the coal strike the spending power in Britain is greatly decreasing, and although the trade on Smithfield has been very much better m comparison with the trade in the Midlands and further north, even there the pitchings will, I think, show a reduction on those of last July, this in spite of the fact that our pitchings during April, May and June showed a substantial increase on those of last year.

Mutton.—Mutton has remained remarkably steady, considering the drop that has occurred in lamb, but this week it has been rather inclined to ease in price. The feeling in the trade, however, is that it cannot go very much lower, but this will, of course, depend entirely upon the course of the lamb market. It is difficult to see how the lamb market can go very much lower than at present, in which case I would expect the mutton prices to hold, and possibly they may improve in the closing months of the year, when the weather becomes colder and the demand greater for mutton.

Beef.—The shipments of Argentine chilled have been rather lower during the last fortnight, and better prices have been established for chilled, which has helped the market for frozen beef. The stock of New Zealand on hand, however, is very small indeed, arid there has been no difficulty in selling at the ruling prices.

Pork.—Stocks of New Zealand are practically exhausted, but I should say the value would be lid for porkers and lOd for baconers. There is a particularly-good inquiry for porkers, owing to the Continental embargo, 1 and I expect the inquiry to become more pronounced when we get into September and onwards, as it is in the colder months that the retail demand for pork comes along. It is difficult to prophesy the future of the baconers, as naturally the price depends on the selling price of bacon itself. The Dutch are sending over large supplies of bacon now that they are unable to ship fresh pork, and in consequence the bacon market has dropped considerably, and Dutch bacon has been selling down to lOd per pound in London, and Polish slightly lower. This therefore must have some bearing on the price the curers can afford to pay for our pigs, but it may be possible, owing to the scarcity of fresh pork, to sell even our bacon pigs to the butchers. i