Lamb prices will rise

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32720, 24 September 1971, Page 13

Lamb prices will rise

Speaking to a meeting of the Canterbury section of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science this week, the Dominion president of Federated Farmers, Mr A. C. 7‘Begg, expressed confidence that in the future prices for lamb meat would increase on the i British market as prices for other types of : meat also rose.

‘ He was replying to suggestions that the sort of -prices that were being suggested for lamb in the season would be ffisastrous for sheepfarmers and that there could be a case for subsidising lamb to tide farmers over a difficult period. Referring to the future of lamb prices, Mr Begg said he was confident that the policy the United Kingdom Government was pursuing would result in meat prices rising. Levies on imported feed grains would raise the price of these quite substantially and where feed costs constituted 85 per cent of the cost of raising broilers any such movement in feed grain prices must increase the price of broilers. This would also apply to pig meat, and beef in the United Kingdom must also inevitably rise, and it would be against all precedent if sheep meat

prices did not also rise with them. Dealing - with possible assistance for the sheepfanner, who was dependent solely on sheep for his livelihood, Mr Begg said he felt it was a little early yet to talk about subsidising the price of lamb. There was no question, however, that it was the sheepfarmer who was in considerable trouble. Dairy farmers

were, however, in no trouble and agricultural farming was generally fairly well protected. He doubted, however, whether a straight subsidy on lamb would be appropriate, as there were many areas of the country where substantial numbers of beef cattle were also carried and these people were in the position of obtaining record prices for their cattle. But he had no doubt that jf the need existed some provision would be made for the sheepfarmer. Earlier Mr Begg said he did not imagine that farmers would be refused bank overdrafts or stock firm credit