N.Z. Should Not ‘Lecture’ Butchers In Britain

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29714, 6 January 1962, Page 16

N.Z. Should Not ‘Lecture’ Butchers In Britain

Any inclination on the part of New Zealanders to "lecture” the butchers in the United Kingdom, as to how they should conduct their business, should be sharply checked in the best interests of our trade, according to Mr H. A. Seifert, spokesman for the New Zealand-owned meat, freezing and export companies.

“Certaiply New’ Zealand is supplying about 80 per cent, of the imported lamb they handle, but relative to the total of their retail sales, our supply is not of very great moment. Should New Zealand disappear under the sea, it w’ould not make so much difference to the trade of Britain’s butchers,” he says.

"In all, they handle just on 2.4 million tons of meat a year, excluding offals, ham and bacon. Of this towards 60 per cent, is home-pro-duced and about 40 per cent, is imported. New Zealand supplies about one-eighth only of Britain’s needs. Our lamb represents the meat supply required for about one shopping day in a fortnight. "In 1959, considerable criticism was voiced by New’ Zealanders over retail lamb prices in Britain, not being brought down in keeping with low values on Smithfield. Equalisation “It was charged that the butchers were making too big a profit and failing to encourage consumption of our lamb. They, how’ever, have for long years followed

an "equalisation” price policy.

“Accordingly, in 1960, an opposite situation was seen, for the butchers paying dearly for our lamb, sold this at a small margin and hence maintained consumption which would have diminished with higher retail prices. That fact does not appear to have been appreciated out here. “Also, it may be noted there are about 40.000 British butchers as compared with around 30,000 sheepfarmers in this country. The great majority of the retail shops are privately owned, by traders proud of their craft. They are certainly no people to contemplate pushing around. We can only trade successfully in their market, in a spirit of working together,” he said.