The Press SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1969. N.Z. Butter And Lamb On The U.K. Market

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32164, 6 December 1969, Page 12

The Press SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1969. N.Z. Butter And Lamb On The U.K. Market

“Remember”, says an- advertisement directed at New Zealand fat lamb producers, “ Great Britain is “still your best market”. The statement is as true today of lamb as at any time in the 80 years of refrigerated shipping. Nearly 90 per cent of New Zealand’s lamb exports are destined for Britain; and more than 90 per cent of the lambs produced in New Zealand are destined for export For more than 12 months—apart from a temporary lapse in March—New Zealand lamb has been fetching more than 30d per lb at Smithfield. It has averaged 32d per lb this year compared with less than 29d last year, 25d the year before, and lower prices in most earlier years.

Ten years ago, when New Zealand lamb was fetching only 2ld per lb at Smithfield, the prospects for lamb looked doubtful indeed. But other suppliers of that market, British, Australian and Argentinian, became so discouraged by the low prices for their lambs that they reduced their production. New Zealand alone of the major suppliers kept increasing its production, with the result that New Zealand today now supplies more than 60 per cent—compared with little more than 45 per cent 10 years ago—of all the lamb consumed in Britain. Total supplies on the market this year are about 5 per cent less than in 1959.

New Zealand has also increased its share of the United Kingdom market for butter over the last 10 years, but in rather different circumstances. The dumping of butter in Britain, the world’s onlysubstantial importer of butter, led to the imposition in 1962 of restrictions on imports; and New Zealand’s share of the quota has been about 40 per cent The wholesale price of New Zealand butter in Britain has been 300 s per cwt for nearly three years. At this price it is barely economic to produce butter; but the New Zealand dairy industry keeps hoping that other, less efficient, producers will be discouraged and that United Kingdom butter prices will improve. Much the same considerations apply to the export of New Zealand cheese, which for the last 18 months has fetched only 226 s per cwt —its lowest price since 1958. Although the prices obtained for butter and cheese are uncomfortably low, the market for these products is reasonably assured—at least until Britain begins to negotiate for entry into the European Economic Community. This is certainly not the time to be despondent about the prospects for the New Zealand dairy industry; who can say that the United Kingdom market for butter and cheese will not recover in the next 10 years as the market for lamb has recovered over the last 10 years? Nor is this the time to “ write off ” the United Kingdom market for New Zealand produce; 40 per cent of New Zealand’s export income is still derived from that source. Litter Almost a year ago the Litter Bill, increasing penalties for dropping offensive or dangerous rubbish, became law. Yet the national anti-litter campaign in October passed without effecting any noticeable improvement in public behaviour. Many local authorities have appointed anti-litter wardens; the Christchurch City Council plans to supply 100 litter bins of a new design early next year and later 700 more; but the larger task of educating the public in tidy civic housekeeping has barely begun. Perhaps only a serious, concerted effort to detect and prosecute offenders will have the desired effect In the first six months of this year there were 51 prosecutions for litter offences in the four main centres, 17 of them in Christchurch. The worst offenders—and those least likely to respond to an appeal to civic pride—are those who leave bottles about or even deliberately break them. Younger children seldom offend; they are too conscious of the refund value of many bottles, small as it is. It might be time to take another look at the idea, often rejected, of a steep increase in the deposit charge on bottles, particularly beer bottles.

Manufacturers and retailers of bottled drinks would hardly welcome such a requirement; but until the “ container revolution ” produces a satisfactory substitute for glass, the only way to. deter this kind of dangerous vandalism may be to make it expensive to break or abandon a bottle. After a brief period there should be no decline in sales. Latter is a kind of pollution; and the onus for reducing it should be spread more widely among those involved.