N.Z. cattle produce leaner carcase

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32702, 3 September 1971, Page 19

N.Z. cattle produce leaner carcase

“New Zealand’s traditional beef cattle breeds are further advanced than any similar beef cattle we saw in the United Kingdom in producing a leaner type, high quality carcase,” said Mr J. H. Rutherford, president of the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand, who has just returned from leading New Zealand’s party to

the conference of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth in Edinburgh.

“I was particularly disappointed with the cattle shown at the major shows," said Mr Rutherford. “They were in the main, much too fat

* "It is also interesting to hear that the prospects for beef in the long term, are excellent. At our conference, Sir Kenneth Clark, a director of Swifts and a well-known pastoralist in Australia and South America, said that there would be a short fall in beef production of about 4m metric tons by 1980. and the prospects beyond that appear excellent

“In reply to a question Sir Kenneth said synthetic meat would have an effect in the manufacturing fields. However, he felt that the consumer today preferred natural foods and so top quality meat would have considerable preference over synthetic meats.”

Mr Rutherford said that many principals of wool firms in Bradford and several wool processors had stated that good quality New Zealand crossbred wool had a very secure future in the production of high quality carpets.

“I also saw quite a lot of sheep breeding,” said Mr Rutherford. “I was particularly interested in the Romneys. At the Royal Show in Warwickshire, now the National Agricultural Centre of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, the winning sheep were descended from a New Zealand ram imported in 1950. It has been suggested that we should import these Romneys but I feel they have little or nothing to offer New Zealand breeders, as their wool is much finer, with a lighter clip per sheep. “The lambing percentages on' the properties I visited in the south of England were 108 to 130 per cent.

“Often they are bigger sheep than ours, but we do have flocks of sheep as big. and the hindquarters of our sheep are much superior. A good hindquarter is particularly important, as I was to discover on visiting many butcher shops, because they cut the hind leg into three to suit the market, and if we get the shank too long and not enough eye of meat, they can only make two cuts.

“With regard to the exotic breeds of sheep, which it is proposed at a later date to introduce into New Zealand,’’ Mr Rutherford said, “I visited two farms and was generally unimpressed, because at the first they were run under hard conditions and had a lot of footrot. On the second farm the third generation Oldenberg cross Romney (300 in number) looked much more impressive, although the ewes were not as good a type as the original Romney flock used. They had, however, increased lambing percentage, with the use of an extensive

recording scheme, by 30 per cent in three generations, and this varied between 130 to 160 per cent. It must be remembered though, that wool is bought at between 60c to 70c per lb, irrespective of the quality, and I am afraid that this type of wool left a great deal to be desired. “I was fortunate to see a small experiment with Finnish Landrace sheep. They were in the third generation, and in the owner’s own words, were not as good as the base type, even for milking ability, carcase or wool, and the high fertility benefits had completely disappeared.

“The major difference between sheep production in the United Kingdom and New Zealand is that we have to take note of both meat and wool production. In Britain their principal interest is in meat production. This is reflected in the size of the lambs which they market, with an optimum weight range of about 451 b to 501 b.

“Another interesting point is that English fanners are getting from $22 to $2B each for their lambs. Quite a different operation to our own.”

Mr Rutherford said the conference of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth in Edinburgh had been a thrilling experience for himself and the 22 other New Zealanders who attended. Papers, he said, had covered many subjects associated with the theme of “Farming for Profit.”

“I look forward, and I know all members of the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand do, to our first Commonwealth conference of agricultural societies, which is to be held in New Zealand in Christchurch in 1973.”

Mr Rutherford said it was anticipated that there would be well in excess of 100 delegates at this meeting.