Need To Produce Meat Buyers Want

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30953, 8 January 1966, Page 1

Need To Produce Meat Buyers Want

(New Zealand Press Associationl HAMILTON, January 7. Unless farmers are encouraged to produce meats that have a world-wide demand, diversionary marketing plans could be costly and ineffective, according to the “Meat Export Freezing Industry Bulletin."

The journal advocates producing for the existing markets rather than trying to force lamb on the American market. “It is felt that our practical limit on the United kingdom market has been reached, and so it becomes imperative to develop alternative markets.

“Accordingly, the the surplus lamb on initially at least, will I:

“It would ill-serve the longterm interests of our farmers and those of the nation, to adopt some policy of diversionary marketing which would lull producers into a false sense of security and deny any spur toward changing patterns of production. “The foundation of such thinking is a wish to maintain for our sheep industry the existing pattern of production. That may be? summed up as one of —wool, lamb, ewe, mutton—and a little beef,” said the journal. “Is it realistic to play for an ever-expanding increase from our sheep farming, without any thought being given to changing its production pattern, at least in some degree? “There are ho problems of finding markets for our beef and ewe mutton. To quote one exporter, there would be no need for diversionary

idea will be to off-shed other markets which, >e less remunerative. plans if farmers would produce the meats we can sell world-wide." it was claimed. “In the list of the world's 15 major beef-producing countries, New Zealand ranks twelfth. “The countries listed produce 21.500,000 tons annually. New Zealand's contribution is about 1} per cent. “The volume of our export beef in a year would suffice the American appetite for six

days, and that of the world for about a day and a half “Yet, in spite <rf an excellent demand for many years past, our exports have failed to increase significantly. “Our sheep flock, of course, is a great money-earner from combining the production of meat and wool. “It would be unrealistic to suggest reducing the sheep (number and turning pastures I over to beef production as an | alternative. i “It is not unrealistic, howi ever, to propose the incorporation of a vigorous beef IndusI try into our sheep farming.”