TIDINGS OF FICKLE U.K. MEAT MARKET

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29844, 9 June 1962, Page 6

TIDINGS OF FICKLE U.K. MEAT MARKET

HAPPY tidings for New Zealand farmers who are having their lambs sold in Britain on their own account this season are contained in a letter written a week ago by Mr G. H. Stevens, a wholesale and retail butcher in Swanage. Dorset, to his brother, Mr S. J. Stevens, who has butchers’ shops in Christchurch and the Isle of Wight.

“New Zealand lamb opened last Monday (May 28) at 2s Id (for twos) and has gone up about a ltd a day. Swifts have quoted me 2s Slid for twos on Monday (June 41,” says the English butcher.

“Chilled beef of all sorts has been very scarce with hindquarters making as much as 2s 9d per lb. English beef has been making £8 to £9 per live hundredweight <2s 6d to 2s lOd per lb dressed) '.his week so you can see we are finding it extremely difficult to keep our prices steady. As far as I am cortcerned the one saving grace is that pigs have not gone up. The subsidy on pigs next week (this week) is nearly

10d per lb, but on lamb it is only a lid per lb (it has been up around the is 8d mark). “Home-killed lambs are very slow coming forward due to the very cold spring. I am only hoping that we get much heavier killings later

Mr G. H, Stevens mentions speaking to his brother’s Isle of Wight manager advising him to try to get some New Zealand lamb in stock. “Unfortunately,” he adds, "there seems to be no New Zealand lambs on • the island. He bought the last 19 that Weddells (wholesalers) had yesterday.

“The trade expects this shortage to last for at least another two or three weeks. I am only thankful that it is June and not August" (it is a seaside resort and the reference is to holiday trading). Mr S. J. Stevens said it was his opinion that the price for twos might level off a bit to about 2s per lb, but subject to there being no sudden influx of Home killed lambs the price might hold about there. ,