Meat orders refused

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33191, 3 April 1973, Page 2

Meat orders refused

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 2.

New Zealand had been forced to turn down at least four new overseas markets for sheep meat meantime because its exports were already fully committed, the chairman of the Meat Board (Mr C. Hilgendorf) said today.

, , . , , A spokesman for the board Itold the N.Z.P.A. in an intervjew today that this year Spain had asked New Zea-

’land, for the first time, if i ’could supply 3000 to 4000 tons this year. The Netherlands, Cuba and a number of Middle East countries had also made inquiries about orders of a similar size. Even the Jordanian Army wanted New Zealand meat. It was interested in about 1000 tons a year, the spokesman said. Last week Mr Hilgendorf told the electoral committee of the Meat and Wool Boards that New Zealand had seen a dramatic increase in world meat demand in the last year which was without precedent in the 90 years New Zealand had been exporting meat. “We have had all sorts of: new customers knocking at, our door and practically beg-!

ging for the privilege of buying our produce,” he said. The Meat Board was unable to handle new orders immediately because of forward shinping bookings and its inability to increase the meat kill too quickly, the board spokesman said. But the board was still discussing the orders with the countries it had been unable to supply.