CHILLER BEEF COMPETITION

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27634, 15 April 1955, Page 15

CHILLER BEEF COMPETITION

FIRST EVENT IN SOUTH ISLAND BIG ENTRY OF HIGH QUALITY An excellent entry of 43 beasts was brought forward for the chiller beef competition, for which judging on the hoof was completed at the Addington yards yesterday. The competition is the first to be held in the South Island, and is being conducted by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association in conjunction with the Meat Board. Entries came from all over Canterbury, and reflected the keen interest farmers are now taking in producing the high quality beef essential for chilling. Not only was the entry remarkably big, but the quality of the cattle was outstanding. , Canterbury farmers have had little experience as yet in producing the special type of beast needed for chilling, and the ribtice they had of the competition was short in view of the special management needed to produce chillers, but the great majority of the cattle entered were of good chilling type. The competition calls for steers or heifers which will not exceed 7401 b dressed weight. Ten will be selected from the Canterbury competition cattle as an entry in the New Zealand competition. All entries had to be either polled or dehomed. Judging on the hoof was done yesterday by Mr Jack Palmer of Christchurch. As soon as the judge had finished with them, the cattle were trucked to Borthwick’s works at Belfast where they were killed during the afternoon. They will be judged on the hooks today by Meat Board graders. Judge’s Difficult Task The top 10 beasts will be paid for by the Board at chilling rates, and any others among the rest which reach will also be paid for at chilling rates. The rest will be bought at export freezing rates. Mr Palmer had an unenviable job to select the three best from so even and high quality an offering. Chilling requires a beast without excess fat, but finished to a very high standard nevertheless. Mr Palmer’s task was made a little simpler through the number of entries which, while they were of extra choice quality and finish, were a little too well cohered for chilling. This no doubt welcome relief still left him with a very big list from which to select the three placed cattle. He eventually selected a two and a half-year-old Aberdeen Angus steer from J. D. Acland, Mount Peel, as first placing, and next to him put a ShorthornHereford steer from J. C. Cradock, Ohoka. Third placing went to P. C. Curd, Winchmore, with another black. There were at least a dozen other

entries right up to the standard of the winners, and the placings had to be done on very fine points. The president of the association, Mr M. F. Macfarlane, thanked Mr Palmer warmly for his judging. “This is the first chiller competition to be held in the South Island, and we are proud that we should have had it in Canterbury,” he said. “It is a wonderful display of stock.’ Mr Palmer said that there were a lot of cattle in the entry which deserved an award. “There are a few which are not quite up to the standard required, and there are others that are past it,” he said.

It was necessary to keep excess condition off cattle intended for chilling, and they should be ready for killing young, he said. “The producer has got to keep waste off them,” he said. ‘Everyone has read what the British housewife’s opinion is, and it is the same now in this country. The producer must keep waste off his cattle whether he is going to sell them for chilling or for the local market.’