Surfeit Of Advice

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31659, 20 April 1968, Page 9

Surfeit Of Advice

The cattle business, both on the production and marketing sides, was at present bedevilled by advice from both experts and amateurs, Mr P. D. Shea, senior cattle buyer for the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company in Christchurch, told farmers attending a field day in the Culverden and Waiau districts.

“The newspapers, radio and television are all telling you about it Everyone is giving you, the producer, and us,

the buyers and exporters, advice. . . . “Everyone seems to be qualified to talk about beef; they seem to know the lot.” Mr Shea referred to the confusion which could be caused by recalling a discussion at his firm’s works at Belfast recently. Visiting them was the president of a large American packing company and Mr Shea said he took the opportunity to show him the entries of beef from the Methven Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s competition. “I was rather proud of this display,” Mr Shea said, and suggested to him that as his company handled considerable quantities of Canterbury manufacturing beef, perhaps he might have some outlet for these high grade primal cuts. “He was impressed that our basically grass-fed cattle were of this quality, but said that if we could increase the fat coverage, and have marbled beef, his company might be able to handle it in competition with American choice. “About the same time, in another part of the country, a farmers’ group was told that marbling of beef had no significance whatever even in the United States—and added nothing to palatability or tenderness.”