Co-operation With U.S. In Sheep Raising Urged

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28413, 21 October 1957, Page 13

Co-operation With U.S. In Sheep Raising Urged

New Zealand can only secure a market for lamb in the United States if the sheep industry in the United States is in a healthy condition, according to Mr A. P. O’Shea the general secretary of Federated Farmers, writing in the “New Zealand Studmasters” annual review. He suggests that New Zealand could help in making the American industry healthy and he says that the visit to New Zealand of a representative delegation of sheep producers from the United States would be the correct preliminary.

Mr O’Shea cites the example of wool producers co-operating through the International Wool Secretariat to counter the competition from synthetics and big soap and margarine combines working together clpsely internationally and exchanging advances in production techniques.

“It is of course much easier for large companies to get round a table and make plans for cooperation than it is for farmers in widely scattered countries, but it has proved valuable in marketing so surely co-operation in production techniques would be equally valuable between the different sheep-raising countries,” says Mr O'Shea.

“At the moment the weak link in the production chain is the sheep industry in the United States. Not that all of the industry in that country is unprofitable but undoubtedly a large proportion is struggling. Various reasons have been advanced for this. Labour difficulties is one and competition from other products such as poultry is another. Then there is the fact that short cut methods of handling sheep and wool as we know them are little used. . . . Wool Return “The American sheep producer has certainly to face a number of problems that are peculiar to him. but at the same time some of the problems that have been tackled and solved in this country are still a source of trouble in the United States. One of these is the return from wool. Over all the American producer is not making anything like that which his New Zealand counterpart makes out of wool. One of the reasons for this, I was told by a Boston woollen miller, was that a large proportion of the basic flocks was comprised of sheep with fleeces which contained black fibres. Here we can see how lucky we were in New Zealand that our original female blood was Merino.

“But the point is that the weak in the production chain is the American sheep-raiser. As he finds it more difficult to make ends meet he is bound to seek further

protection for all his products. Mr O’Shea states that sheep population in the United States had declined from 49m in 1942 to 27m in 1956 and lamb and mutton consumption had dropped from 6.41 b a head in 1930 to 4.31 b in 1956. Lamb and mutton consumption in New Zealand was 80.21 b a head in 1954-55.

“It can be seen that there is a potential market in the United States for lamb,” says Mr O'Shea

“but there can be a market there only if the United States sheep industry is in a healthy condition.

“We should be prepared to do everything possible to assist with high grade stock if necessary, with advice on short cut production techniques, and on methods of stock handling. Trade is something in which to be successful each party must gain equally. The way to ensure this would be for us in New Zealand to make an alliance with the American sheep producer. If this is done the prospects could be bright for both of us.”