DEMAND FOR LEAN MEAT

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27637, 19 April 1955, Page 17

DEMAND FOR LEAN MEAT

BRITISH CONSUMERS’ PREFERENCE BUTCHERS’ COMMENTS

(Special Correspondent N.ZJ 3 .A.) LONDON, April 18. Recent comments on the British meat trade emphasise the need for lean«meat which housewives are now demanding. The master of the Butchers’ Company, speaking at the Livery dinner, said that although they were grateful for the thousands of tons of meat imported from abroad, butchers were running all over the country trying to buy the best quality home-killed meat. No longer, he added, would the housewife buy any fat, and it was obvious that butchers would not buy a commodity which their customers would not take. Consequently, it was imperative that farmers breed cattle which were in demand.

Mr F. M. Boland, Irish Ambassador, a guest speaker, said that Irish cattle exporters had not been slow to respond to the free market. Last year they sent Britain 75.000 fat cattle, 100,000 store cattle, and 15,000 tons of prime fresh beef, more than in the previous year.

“As a meat producing country we are following the choice of the British housewife very closely," said Mr Boland, "so closely that I might almost decribe the British housewife as the ’pin-up’ girl of the Irish producer. She is a discriminating judge of best quality. "Irish meat coming on this market will continue to withstand the most exacting scrutiny; we are continually improving pastures, more and more Aberdeen Angus stock is being introduced in order to give the British housewife the joint she likes best.’’

The Meat Trades’ Journal in an editorial declared it was vitally important that tne quality and quantity of home-killed meat be maintained. In this respect both producer and consumer should be educated, and in neither case was that easy. "During the war and subsequent shortages the farmer was encouraged to market heavy, fat animals in order to make the supply go further, and he found it very remunerative,” added the journal. "One effect of this was that the housewife found her rather small ration of meat was in effect made even smaller by the proportion of fat, with the result that as soon as possible she refused practically all fat on principle. Good meat is neither too fat nor too lean, but it is not going to be easy to make either party see it. Nevertheless, everything possible in that direction needs to be done. The president of Wallasey Butchers’ ano Pork Butchers’ Association, Mr S. W. Edge, recently told members: “In asking butchers to press imported frozen meat on to the public, I wonder if the Ministry has forgotten that 15 years of control ended last year, and that we are now free to buy to suit the requirements of our own customers.”

Mr Edge said that to be successful in private business each individual must run his shop and buy and seH the type of meat his customers wanted. It was undesirable and not in the best interests of the trade to buy pbor quality frozen meat and to sell it. at low prices. In pleasing the Ministry there was a grave risk oi damaging the retail trade. The current demand for quality English meat, even at high prices, may be the result of consumers being compelled to accept lowgrade meat during control..

STOCK SALES PLEASANT POINT **The Press" Special Service TIMARU, April 18. Late values were held for the 50 head of fat cattle offered yesterday, with little interest being taken in the store cattle section. Fully 2000 fat lambs and 2500 fat sheep were offered and realised, with the exception of fat ewes, firm values. Fat ewes eased slightly. The inquiry was strong for all classes of sheep in the large store yarding. Values were:— Fat Cattle.—Fat steers, good £4O to £45, light to medium £25 2s 6d to £33 2s 6d; fat heifers, good £3O to £33 7s 6d, light to medium £24 2s 6d to £27 17s 6d; fat cows, good £lB 2s 6d to £24 2s 6d, light to medium £8 to £l3 7s 6d.

Fat Sheep and Lambs.—Fat wethers, godti 80s Id to 83s Id, medium 72s Id to 76s lOd, .light to 67s lOd; fat ewes, good 29s Id to 34s Id, light to medium 22s Id to 28s Id; fat lambs, good 68s Id to 71s Id, medium 62s Id to 66s lOd, light to 59s lOd.

Store Sheep.—Best rape lambs 52s 6d to 565, medium 44s to 49s 6d, small 39s 6d to 425; best ewes lambs 72s to 78s, medium 62s 6d to 68s, small 50s to 58s; two-tooth wethers, to 735; two-tooth ewes, 73s to £5 13s; rape ewes, 16s to 22s 6d.

P. and O. Deferred Stock.—Final dividend 13 per cent. (16 per cent, for the year) —ex April 29,