A Word For New Zealand At U.K. Conference

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30592, 7 November 1964, Page 10

A Word For New Zealand At U.K. Conference

Back in his Newport, Isle of Wight, butchery business after selling his shop in Colombo street, Christchurch, a few months ago, Mr Stanley J. Stevens has been speaking again for New Zealand and her meat trade.

“Although once more a Pommie I remain very much a Kiwi in spirit and at heart,” writes Mr Stevens, “but I wish a few more would join me in blowing New Zealand’s trumpet.” Mr Stevens was on his feet at the recent annual conference of the British National Federation of Meat Traders’ Associations at Brighton. This conference held on the eve of the British elections was very conscious of high meat prices and possible controls on meat imports into Britain and the likely impact of “managed,” or as someone commented “mismanaged” meat markets. Resolutions were passed reaffirming opposition to a meat marketing board or a meat commodity commission, and expressing the belief that the nation was best served by a free marketing system; and urging on the Government the importance of ensuring that overseas supplies were encouraged in order to maintain regular shipments to Britian and emphasising that there were opportunities for higher levels of chilled beef and frozen lamb to be absorbed by the United Kingdom market. In the debate on the second of these two resolutions Mr Stevens said that the blame for the trade’s present difficulties lay partly on wholesalers and retailers themselves. “We should see to it that we pay our Commonwealth suppliers a fair price for their meat,” he said. History had a great bearing on the present situation. In 1954 they had been glad to pay a 2s per lb wholesale control price for New Zealand lamb. Subsequently prices had risen to 2s 6id and then they had fallen

back to Is 6jd. Now they were back to 2s 6d again. Wholesalers had misread the situation and concentrated on finding markets outside Britain. The British meat trade should have taken advantage of the position and helped increase the sale of New Zealand lamb which was the backbone of the British meat trade. There was ample scope for an increase. In New Zealand consumption had been pushed up from 601 b to 901 b compared with only about 251 b a head in Britain. Mr Stevens also took the opportunity of extolling the virtues of cartoned New Zealand ox beef cuts, supplies of which had been arriving in reasonable quantities. The quality and trim of these cuts was good, he said, but in order that they might quickly establish a foothold on the United Kingdom market, which had lingering memories of mystery bales of boneless New Zealand cow beef during rationing, and was still averse to frozen beef in any shape or form, Mr Stevens said that he would make the following suggestions: (1) The beef should be aged in the works chillers for at least a week before cutting and freezing. (2) Early shipments should be sent to areas used to handling frozen New Zealand lamb and where the lower price would be quickly appreciated. (3) Once traders had built up a sale for any particular cut of beef everything possible should be done to maintain consistent supplies of that commodity to them throughout the year, even if

this prevented the more widespread sale of the product during the early stages. (4) Once a price level economic to the producers and processors had been reached this should be kept constant as far as was possible. The Australian Meat Board has already staged area receptions for butchers to display their country’s beef cuts. This idea was a good one but should not be attempted until continuing supplies were fully available. Mr Stevens said that he was glad to report that New Zealand boneless rumps of beef had been of inestimable value to his trade during the recent summer when Home killed and chilled beef had been at such a premium, and now having bought a parcel of New Zealand ox beef strip loins, in the light of his Christchurch retail experience, he was quickly building a steady trade for porterhouse steak, a cut until recently barely heard of or tried in the conservative Isle of Wight. In the previous week Mr Stevens said he had tried selling New Zealand topside at Is 4d per lb less than the fresh product with some success. “Having cut, sold and eaten New Zealand beef for four years it gives me great confidence in retailing it here, but my assurance would be even greater if I knew it had been aged before freezing.” Writing about the middle of last month about the early future outlook for meat supplies in Britain, Mr Stevens says that on the whole he believes that public resistance to higher meat prices is now less than it was during the beef crisis last June, but he thinks that a big effort will be needed to increase consumption as supplies improve, and suggests that the utmost care should be taken in pitching supplies of New Zealand lamb during the coming season. A slight easing of prices would be most welcome to

the retail trade in Britain, who for some months had been making a lower percentage on New Zealand lamb, but the worst thing that could happen would be a complete collapse in prices, which would undo all the good work of the last year or two’s marketing. “The last thing we want is price control in any shape or form,” Mr Stevens added, “but we need a really responsible approach to the problem from the operators. Let us have no more of these fantastic swings of the pendulum which undermine the confidence of the producers and retailers alike. When supplies are plentiful let the wholesalers go all out to encourage sales by promotion to and through the butcher, and when they are likely to run short share this problem with the retailer and apply the soft pedal. Fluctuate prices by all means, but intelligently and within limits, and avoid panic buying and selling. British butchers want New Zealand lamb, and they want New Zealand farmers to have a fair crack all along the line.”