WORKS HOLD EWES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29152, 12 March 1960, Page 12

WORKS HOLD EWES

Many Awaiting Killing

With feed supplies at a low ebb gs a result of drought conditions, farmers in Canterbury are anxious to quit their surplus old ewes, but because of the sustained pressure of lambs for killing, freezing works are not able to handle all the old ewes offering. However, companies are helping farmers by -holding considerable numbers of ewes near works pending an opportunity to kill them.

The general manager of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company (Mr R. D. Iles) said yesterday that the numbers being held would run into thousands. It was normal for works with extensive holding areas to be holding ewes at this time of the year, but this season his company was holding possibly 25 per cent, more than usual.

A spokesman for another company confirmed that his organisation was also holding many ewes near a local works. “A little while ago we started to kill a few ewes, then along came a fresh influx of lambs under the pressure of dry conditions and the old ewe has to take a back seat again.” said the representative. '

However, at the three works of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, sheep formed 20 per cent, of the kill in the weeks ending March 9 and February 27, and Mr Iles said that this level of sheep killing would be -maintained while pressure to kill lambs remained high. Pressure to kill lambs had continued this week and would be maintained again next week. _ Big Ewe Kill

One trade representative believes that aa many ewes may be killed this year as the high figure of last year. Factors contributing to this were the relatively reasonable prices at which young ewes could be bought and the dry weather. He said he knew people who normally had lines of one-year eWes that were keenly sought after for breeding but which were being put in for killing this year. At the five works tn North and Mid-Canterbury 2.25 million lambs and sheep had been killed up to laat week-end. This represents an increase of about 100,000 on the kill at this stage last season, and with killings of local lambs at southern works in the early part of the season probably about 150,000 more lambs and sheep have beeri handled off farms in the area serviced by the five works this season. In the South Island as a whole, the kill to March 5 was about 7 million compared with 6.5 million last year Up to the end of this week, works of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company had handled 6 per cent more lambs and sheep than at the same stage last season. Of the lambs killed at these works up till Thursday night, 27.4 per cent, had been seconds, compared with 49.4 per cent at the same time last season; and the average weight of carcases so far is 32.131 b compared with 31.041 b last year.

Mr W. J. Boyden has been appointed a member of the Motueka Beach Domain Board In place of Mr J. T. Price, who has resigned.