WORLD MEAT PRODUCTION

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27370, 8 June 1954, Page 12

WORLD MEAT PRODUCTION

FIGURES COMPILED IN U.S. “MODERATE RISE” FOR 1954 FORECAST (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 pjn.) WASHINGTON, June « The United States Agriculture D/ partment today forecast a “moderate rise” in world meat production in 1851 in a number pf countries, includJS New Zealand. Most of the gain this year would be in beef, as mutton and lamb outp™ would remain high and pork production would show little change from “A further moderate rise in world meat output is in prospect aurin? 1954.” the department said, in jk weekly publication, “Foreign Crojk and Markets.” “Not much change is now foreseen in the production of pork but the out-. put of beef is expected to rise further as an increased slaughter of cattle probable in several of the major producing countries. A continued high level of production of mutton and lamb is probable. At the beginning 1954 hog numbers were slightly below a year earlier, but were slightly above the total before the war. “Increased beef production ■ daring 1954 seems likely in a number of countries, including Canada, New Zealand, France, Britain, and Argentina. Production in the United States is expected to show little change from th* record set in 1953. “Pork output in Western Europe during‘l9s4 promises to be about the same as a year earlier. Greater production in Denmark, Ireland, and Britain is expected to be about offset by decreases in other countries, including Belgium, Western Germany, and the Netherlands. “Increased production of pigs during 1954 in the United States and Canada will show up largely in increased slaughter and pork production in the last half of 1954 and in 1955.” Production in 1953 The survey also reported that meat production in the principal countries of. the world totalled 80,000.000.0001 b carcase weight basis. This output was about 4 ;?r cent, greater than. 1952 production of about 77,000,000.0001 b, The department said practically all of the increase from 1952 to 1953 was due to greater production of beef, which rose to a record high level. It said its estimates of meat production were based on data-from 41 countries making up 93 per cent, of the world output, but did not include the Far East and Chiha. In a report on dry, edible peas, the Agriculture Department estimated 1953-54 production in 26 countries at 13,102,000 bags. That was 1 per cent larger than the 1952-53 output of 12,944,000 bags, but 21 per cent, below the five-year (1945-49) average of 16,536,000 bags. The department said its estimates included most of the important peaproducing areas of Western Europe. North and South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea, but did not include, because of lack of recent data, estimates jfor China or the countries in Eastern Europe. China, it. added, usually produced 60,000,000 to 65,000,000 bags annually, while Eastern Europe’s output was about 2,500.000 bags. The 1953-54 season in .Western Europe generally was good for peas, although not as favourable as in* the previous year. Western European output was 6,764,000 bags, compared with 7,234,000 bags in the previous year. This was mainly due, the department said, to lower output in the Netherlands and Britain, the principal producing countries. The 1953 production in Holland was 10 per cent, below 1952, while the British output was 26 per cent, lower. While no specific figures had yet been reported on the recent harvest in South American countries, the department said: “Indications are that the harvest was not good in Chile, while the evidence indicates it may have been about average in Argentina.” The crop in Australia and’Neiv Zealand, a total of 550,000 bags in 1953, was reported to be higher than the previous year, but hardly up to the 1945-49 average, “particularly in New Zealand,” the department said.