DEMAND FOR BEEF

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28983, 26 August 1959, Page 10

DEMAND FOR BEEF

Overseas Market Requirements

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, August 25. Mr J. D. Ormond, the chairman of the Meat Board, told the board's electoral committee today that New Zealand's meat exports for the 1958-59 season were expected to exceed 440.000 tons. Twenty years ago, New Zealand’s exports of meat were 297.118 tons. But, Mr Ormond said the gains! in production were based in| rising sheep population, and from! the point of view purely of meat marketing, that position was not; the ideal for every one of the' international markets was a market for beef. The rate of increase of the United Kingdom sheep flocks had lately been accelerated, and the weight of home-produced mutton and lamb on the market this year had significantly increased, he said. There was New Zealand's own increasing supply of mutton and lamb on the United Kingdom market and there had been an increased supply from Australia. In the first six months of this year the total of mutton and lamb on the British market from all sources was 332,800 tons, compared with 315,700 tons in the same six months of last year. That was an increase of 17,000 tons. Of that increase, approximately two-thirds went into consumption] and one-third was carried over among store stocks into the second half of the year. The increase in consumption in Britain was at the rate of 4 per cent. “I believe it is reasonable to expect increasing consumption of mutton and lamb in the United Kingdom, but if it is necessary to force that increase too quickly, prices may be disappointing,” said Mr Ormond. “Coinciding with the return to freer conditions in her export trade. Australia enjoyed an enormous increase in her export [surplus, and in the Australian 1958-59 season her export beef 'and veal production increased by jB3 per cent. The total beef and veal production for export was 226,180 tons. The increase alone, from the previous season, was 102.392 tons. This is well in excess of our entire annual beef export output. “Australian mutton and lamb production for export also rose sharply, so that she had for world markets an additional 13.000 tons lof mutton and 11.500 tons of ilamb." Discussing the United Kingdom : trade Mr Ormond said there had I been some recent “unfortunate' j comment, in which he did not

share. “That comment has been critical, in general terms,' of the retail profit taken from the sale of our product in the United Kingdom. In my view, the retail trade in Britain is doing a great job in the promotion and sale of! New Zealand lamb. “It is not possible for us to know, nor is it desirable for us to attempt to determine. the margin every retailer takes from the products he sells. “It is important to us that he likes our product and likes to trade in it and. therefore, plays his part in pushing its sale and maintaining its flow into consumption.’’