MEAT EXPORTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 August 1938, Page 3

MEAT EXPORTS

IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING FLOCKS. BOARD CHAIRMAN ON VALUE OF RESEARCH. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Realising the increasing competition from all sources in the meat export trade to the United Kingdom, the board would again stress to all farmers and sheep-breedets the vital importance of improving the quality of their flocks to meet the situation, said Mr T. A. Duncan, Hunterville, chairman, in his address at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board in Wellington yesterday. “The premium New Zealand has always secured in the United Kingdom over that obtained by other mutton and lamb-exporting countries is because of quality,” said Mr Duncan, “and every endeavour must be made to see that this premium is maintained or increased. Under such conditions of increased competition for quality, our relative superiority would tend to disappear unless further efforts are made. Our reputation on the British market has been built up and maintained on quality, and it cannot be stressed too much that we must maintain that essential factor at all costs. “The board continues to take a close interest in any investigational and research work being carried out in New Zealand and overseas relating to the meat industry. Close coriiLati has been maintained through the board’s -London manager, with the work of the Low Temperature Research Station at Cambridge, England, and this year’s contribution toward the cost of research work being carried out at the station was £lOOO. A further grant of £3OO had been made to the Cawthron Institute to enable the continuance of research work on piri-piri and ragwort control. During the year a further grant of £lOO was made to the Massey Agricultural College in support of the research work being done there on sterility in sheep. “The work being done by Sir Louis Barnett on hydatid disease has • been supported in the-past by grants from the board and from the Departments of Agriculture and Health. The/ newlyappointed Medical Research Council is continuing this work, and Sir Louis Barnett has been appointed chairman of the Hydatid Research Committee. The board has decided to make a further grant this year of £lOO toward this work.”