Campaign To Sell Japan Meat For Processing

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28930, 25 June 1959, Page 12

Campaign To Sell Japan Meat For Processing

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

TOKYO, June 24. The general manager of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board (Mr J. W. de Gruchy) said in Tokyo today that New Zealand had meat available at the right price for the expanding Japanese meat processing factories. Mr de Gruchy told a press conference at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo: “The Japanese are very rapidly becoming more conscious of eating meat. At the current price our meat can play an important part in the manufacture of sausages here. It is obvious the Japanese require more meat for processing and we feel we have the meat at the right price.” Mr de Gruchy hag been touring the Far East with the chairman of the board, Mr J. D. Ormond, investigating possible markets for New Zealand meat, especially mutton.

Mr Ormond said that for some time the board had felt that, because of its price. New Zealand mujton should be used in Japan’s increasing meat processing business.

Mr Ormond said that at a special exhibition of New Zealand mutton held at the Nissin Meat Products in Tokyo this week, sausages made partly with New Zealand meat had been “very acceptable.” He said there had been no adulteration to the flavour of the meat through the processing

Mr Ormond said processing experiments with New Zealand mut-

ton began early this year when one of New Zealand’s export companies sent a free sample of meat to Japan. He said at present about 700 tons of mutton had already entered Japan this year and had been absorbed on the market. If 3000 to 4000 tons of mutton were sent to Japan next year it would be a “good beginning.” Over the last two years the consumption of meat in Japan had increased 15 per cent, each year.

Mr Ormond said New Zealand’s next step would be to educate the Japanese people to eating mutton as a separate meat. He said an advertising campaign should be carried out in Japan to show housewives what mutton was like. Commenting on the sale of beef to Japan, Mr Ormond said the present world market prices were too high for Japan. “He said a certain amount of beef from New Zealand was exported to Japan. Last year the total had been 5000 tons. In 1957 it had been 13,000' tons. Mr Ormond said that during their visits to Singapore and Hong Kong Mr de Gruchy and he had found that a certain amount of meat was eaten but it came either from Australia, or in the case of Hong Kong, from the Chinese mainland. He Said: “Japan is definitely the greatest potential market for our meat.” During their visit to Japan the two men talked with Government officials and representatives of the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry. They will leave by air tomorrow morning for Manila where they will stop for two days before returning to New Zealand.

Mr Ormond said they expected to report back to the Meat Producers’ Board next week.