HIGH PRICES FOR MUTTON

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25227, 4 July 1947, Page 6

HIGH PRICES FOR MUTTON

WETHERS MORE THAN £3/10/- A HEAD

SMALL SUPPLY AT ADDINGTON

Prices of fat sheep at Addington on Wednesday were higher than they have been since the winter of 1945. Wethers made up to 73s Id a head, and ewes to 52s Id. The reason was that the supply was small, and butchers were forced to buy their requirements at prices which will certainly show them a loss.

In the winter of 1945, wethers went up to more than 80s a head, and were between 60s and 80s a head for about three months in July, August, and September. The highest price paid last winter was 67s 6d toward the end of September. Wednesday’s entry was slightly more than 3000 head, which is about 1500 fewer than is normally required when the freezing buyers are not operating. When the sale opened, not many more than 1500 head had been penned, but late arrivals of stock by road built up the total. A number of farmers with properties near enough to the city, on seeing what course the sale would obviously take, hurriedly brought in more sheep by road. Some of them missed the sale, but few were unable to dispose of their sheep privately to butchers.

Butchers normally expect to pay at a few of the sales from now until the spring, prices which entail a loss to .hem under the controlled retail prices, ihis usually occurs when for some reason yardings are small, As a rule, « from Southland nnd Otago find their way to Addington during the winter, and are a considerable part o* q e 4 S £ ppl y-, H is highly unlikely that Southland sheep will be sent north 3117 P ta S° sheep will fiw “ profitable market nearer home, beafter a most unfavourable spring, summer and autumn. Southland at present has not enough sheep tO iuf!l?u ly 2*l own requirements. ♦ ~ ch i?r f } he mutton sold at Addington on Wednesday cost the butcher Is P. er lb °r more on the hoof. Much of JL Wlll have t 0 be retailed at price* pence below cost