Lower Prices For Export Meat

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 3

Lower Prices For Export Meat

From Monday prices to fanners for all lambs under 361 b will be a Id per lb lower. All weights and grades of ewes will be down by a similar amount. Prices for g.a.q. and f.a.q. ox and heifer beef have also been reduced by 5s per 1001 b.

The new lamb prices are (for meat and pelt):—Prime: 20 to 281 b, 15d; 29 to 361 b, 14d; 37 to 421 b, 13d; 431 b and over, lid. Seconds: 20 to 281 b, 14jd; 29 to 361 b, 14d; 371 b and over, 13d. Alpha, lljd.

For ewes the prices are now:—Prime: up to 481 b, 8d; 49 to 561 b, 7d; 57 to 641 b, s|d; 65 to 721 b, 3)d; 73 to 801 b, 2d; 811 b and over, lid; overfat lid. Seconds: up to 481 b, 8d; 49 to 561 b, 7d and 571 b and over, 7d. Export manufacturing: in carcases, 7d; for boning, 3|d. The beef prices which have changed are:—g.a.q. and f.a.q. ox beef up to 6801 b, 135 s per 1001 b, 681 to 7401 b, 130 s; 741 to 8001 b, 1255; over 8001 b, 115 s; g.a.q. and f.a.q. heifer beef up to 5601 b, 125 s and 561 lb and over, 110 s. A meat industry spokesman, discussing yesterday the weakening market for New Zealand lamb in England, said that a factor in the market was the increasing supplies of beef reaching the market English beef had recently been making 3d to 4d per lb less than a year ago, and Argentine beef 4id to 6d per lb less. Apart from Increasing supplies coming from the Argentine, he said, it had been reported that supplies were also expected from Brazil, which had not been supplying the British market for a considerable time, and Uruguay, which

had not sent any beef last year.

The spokesman said that at the week ended May 12 total stocks in Britain of all imported meat stood at 79,800 tons, compared with 73,500 tons a year earlier. According to the latest reports from Britain, he said, prime lambs up to 361 b and seconds up to 281 b were down by }d per lb on the previous week and prime 37 to 421 b lambs by Id. Reductions in the price for light-weight lamb meant that there was now little differential for light-weight lamb. Locally the export killing season is now almost at an end, and a spokesman for the New Zealand Refrigerating Company said yesterday that it was likely that the Islington works would close on June 9, and the Smithfield works would also cease export killing about the same time. The company’s Picton works had already finished killing sheep and lambs for export.