N.Z. MUTTON FOR RUSSIA

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28001, 22 June 1956, Page 10

N.Z. MUTTON FOR RUSSIA

BIG QUANTITY FROM CANTERBURY

FREIGHTER LOADING AT TIMARU

Ewes that were recently grazing on Canterbury farms may before very long provide meat for Russian dinners. Canterbury ewes will make up about a third of a big consignment of New Zealand mutton which will go to Leningrad in the Rippingham Grange, now loading at Timaru. The allrefrigerated ship is taking about 170,000 freight carcases or 4250 tons of mutton. This is believed to be one of the biggest all-mutton shipments ever to leave this country. The Canterbury Frozen Meat Company is shipping in the Rippingham Grange about 38.000 carcases or 930 tons of meat from its Parcora and Fairfield works. The New Zealand Refrigerating Company is also contributing a considerable quantity. Last month the Port Dunedin sailed from New Zealand with 1000 tons of ewe mutton for Odessa.

In the year ended on September 30, 1955. Russia was second to Britain as the biggest importer of New Zealand meat. She took almost 10,000 tons. “The Russians are peculiar people to deal with.” said an executive of the frozen meat trade yesterday. “They want meat in a hutry; then you do not hear from them again for perhaps months. They are unlike people in Italy. Hamburg, and Rotterdam, whom we hear from almost every day. There are, however, advantages in the Russian business. It is clean business, in which you get rid of fairly large quantities in one transaction.