PRICES PAID FOR MEAT

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29238, 23 June 1960, Page 5

PRICES PAID FOR MEAT

Farmer Criticises Schedule

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 22.

Young farmers in New Zealand would not be able to survive another year like the one experienced last year, the annual conference of the Federated Farmers’ meat and wool section council was told today by Mr L. J. Carmody (Wairarapa).

He said farmers had a near record overdraft of £l4 million with the Reserve Bank in spite of an increased income of £l6 million over the previous year from the sale of wool. Advances from stock and station agents stood at £9 8 million. “If farmers think they can stand another year of that then they have another think coming,” he said.

Mr Carmody urged the conference to give some thought to the grouping of the 14 New Zealand companies controlling freezing works into four corporations “strong enough to stand on their own feet to give farmers a fair go, and to reduce the dominance of the overseas companies which control 70 per cent, of the country’s meat output” Unless action was taken along the lines he suggested, he believed farmers could be “taken for a ride this year as they were last year.” “The meat schedule is run by two or three companies and the rest fall into line. I consider the New Zealand companies have no influence whatever on the schedule price,” said Mr Carmody.