Sees Need To Boost N.Z.’s Beef Herds

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30879, 12 October 1965, Page 18

Sees Need To Boost N.Z.’s Beef Herds

There was a greater need than ever for New Zealand to boost its beef herds if Australia was to be prevented from gaining a major, permanent share of the world beef markets, Mr P. T. Norman said in Wellington last week. Mr Norman, general manager of Thomas Borthwick and Sons (A’Asia), Ltd., was commenting on recent British and Australian press reports that Australia could emerge as Britain’s principal beef supplier in the next few years. A report in the “Australian Financial Review” said Australia was diverting more of her meat from United States ports to Britain and beef herds were being increased, particularly in Queensland, Australia’s biggest beefproducing state.

“With the continuing pressure on supplies from the Argentine, Britain’s traditional supplier, Australia could well step in and fill the breach,” the “Australian Financial Rievew” said. Mr Norman said there were no insuperable obstacles in the way of New Zealand’s rapidly increasing her beef herds. New Zealand beef was comparable in taste and quality with that produced anywhere in the world and there were markets ready and waiting to receive it. New Zealand, in fact, had many advantages over Austra-

Ha in that New Zealand conditions were more favourable for the production of prime beef than they were in Queensland and other Australian states. “It would be a great pity because of lack of production to New Zealand to see Australia steal a march on us by datoiing the greater part of lucrative and expanding beef markets,” Mr Norman added. “It would also be a pity to see Australia obtain a stranglehold on the British market which is expanding and which, to time, could be most profitable. “It is true that the British housewife has refused to pay the current high prices being demanded for beef to Britain,” but that is a temporary situation brought about by the disruption to the Argentine beef export trade and because nobody else had sufficient quantities of beef to sell to Britain at realistic prices. “It is significant that to the 12 months ended June this year, Australia improved her overseas beef income earnings by £lom to more than £Bom sterling. “New Zealand's beef export receipts for the same period slumped slightly. In the 12 months up to June, 1964, the shipment value of New Zealand beef (todudtog veal) was £29.1m. In the same period ended June this year, receipts for beef (including veal) fell to £28.7m,” Mr Norman said.