FROZEN MEAT STORAGE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23715, 13 August 1942, Page 6

FROZEN MEAT STORAGE

IMPROVED POSITION NEXT SEASON’S OUTLOOK The freezing works In New Zealand are expected to be practically clear of meat at the end of the shipping year. This information was given .y the president of the Canterbury Sheepowners’ Union (Mr E. Hay) in his address at the annual meeting yesterday. He said that the outlook with respect to storage for next season’s kill was distinctly encouraging. Mr Hay said that the last season had been a satisfactory one from a production point of view, and the total lamb kill would nearly equal that of last season. The wether kill had increased c.s compared with last season, by roughly 145;000 .hfeAd;;ahd . ewe killings had increased by qbbut 400,000 head. "The position with regard to our storage space, about which I expressed concern at our annual meeting last year, has improved to an extent which should remove any anxiety as to our ability to hold our surplus stocks from our next season’s kill,” added Mr Hay. “You will remember that last year I stated that there were more than 1,250,000 ewe carcases in the works, and it was hoped that by canning and other processing, our carry-over would be reduced to a point where storage space for our total kill this year would Be available. *

“The position at the present time with regard to storage is that our works are expected to be practically clear of meat at the end of our Shipping year, and sheepowners generally will be gratified to know that the position has improved so greatly. “With the definite tonnage limit of 275,000 tons of meat set by the British Government for meat purchases last year, and a production output within New Zealand of roughly 320,000 tons, the position with regard to storage at one period during the year was extremely serious, but an unexpected improvemeril in shipping facilities, coupled with the demand for defence purposes, including the supply of meat to additional trpops arriving in New Zealand from overseas, eased the position. and our outlook with respect to storage for next season’s kill is distinctly encouraging.”