AUSTRALIAN LAMB

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 291, 21 November 1936, Page 7 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN LAMB

A Rapidly Increasing Industry CANTERBURY VIEWS Mr A. M. Carpenter, of Fern’sido, Canterbury, who returned during the week from Sydney, where ho attended the sheep show and sales, spent most of his spare time in gathering information concerning the pastoral activities of the State, particularly of the developments in the fat lamb export trade.

In a talk with “Straggler,” of the Christchurch “Press,” Mr Carpenter said he was impressed with the determination of the pastoral community to increase its exports of fat lambs to the English market. The farm newspapers devoted some space while he was there to this development, and to the methods it was proposed to adopt to obtain a larger share of the lamb trade. It was pointed out in these articles that the Dominion’s export annually of lamb was approximately 8.000,000 carcases, whereas the Australian export was nearly.. 5,000,000. One authority expressed the opinion that Australia would in a few years export annually about 10,000,000 lambs to England. Sheep men say that tl:? fat lamb industry has become really inipottant in Australia, and that more and more breeders arc concentrating on the best type of fat lamb for the Home market. This indicates the importance, considers Air Carpenter, of expert publicity in England on bona I? of New Zealand lamb, and also the necessity of realising that it is the light-weight lamb that is required. BRIDGING THE GAP. The Australian lamb producer claims that quality for quality New Zealand obtains a higher price for her lamh than Australia does. Australia has to bridge this gap by supplying quality lamb. The publicity they consider most valuable is that now being conducted by William' Angliss Pty. Co., I.fd., which is part of the world meat organisation of Vestey’s, who control some 1000 butchers’ shops in Britain. Consequently the firm is in a particularly good position to secure publicity for Australian lamb. The firm supplies direct--to the consumer. The Australian lamb producer is very wide awake to-day to the possibilities The preference for light-weight lamb has been taught him through supplying the demand for small joints, as required in the flats of the Australian cities, where large joints would be useless. The lamb-ralser in Australia is also paying a good deal of attention to pasture management, top-dressing, and artificial feed production, which ho calls the “New Zealand methods.” Quite a compliment to New Zealand! One is bound to realise, meeting these men and attending their show, and noting the prices paid for good Southdown, Dorset Horn, Ryeland and Merino sheep—which made up to 750 guineas—that New Zealand cannot afford to neglect any opportunity of maintaining the market in England. In this respect the wisdom of restricting a British firm owning numbers of shops in England, in its operations in New Zealand, was op,en to question. A firm such as the one he mentioned, with 4000 shops in England, certainly appeared an asset to every lamb producer, as such a distribution medium meant the direct supply of 2,000,000 consumers. BRADFORD AND JAPAN. While some wool producers wore perturbed concerning the Australian Government’s tariff on Japan, the new concessions to the British manufacturer of rayon, etc., has brought from Bradford an assurance that Australia would not suffer from lower prices, also. Definite undertakings were reported to have been given by several traders in Manchester that for those concessions they would transfer their total business in meat, butter, and dried fruits to Australia. Mr Carpenter said that he had found among producers a considerable number who thought the time quite opportune for. lifting the embargo against Nev Zealand potatoes. _ .... -