Meat meal price soars

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33110, 28 December 1972, Page 2

Meat meal price soars

f.V.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND. December 27. Prices of New Zealand meat and bone meal, used in animal feed compounds, have risen steeply in the last six months.

Prices were rising at an astonishing rate, the managing director of the Co nmerciai Sales Corporation. Lid. of Auckland (Mr J. P. Crawford), said today. Mr Crawford, whose firm sells meal to Japan, Taiwan. Thailand, and Singapore, said it was Japanese buyers who had first pushed up prices, by outbidding one another. Prices had gone from $67 to $l4O a ton f.0.b.. had eased to $l3O. and now stood about $l7O for meal with a 50 per

cent protein content. Mr Crawford said the volume of meal being sold bv his firm was greater by about 15 to 20 per cent than the amount normally sold in the latter part of the year. The value of sales was up

I much more than 15 to 20 I per cent. Prices had gone up earlier this month. One reason for the increase, said Mr Crawford. ; was that production of fishl meal in Peru had been very substantially reduced. Peruvian fish meal had a protein content of 60 to 65 per cent. Also, Chile, which had been a small exporter of fish'

nieai, had stopped expoiting 'it. The higher prices for meat and bone meal had affected I prices of compounded meals Iproduced in this country, the manager of N.R.M. Feeds, Auckland (Mr R. B. Keenan) said today. The rise since October in the prices of feed rations ! could be about 10 to 15 per 'cent.