Meat prices likely to stay at present level

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33382, 14 November 1973, Page 18

Meat prices likely to stay at present level

High prices for meat would continue as long as the demand exceeded the supply, said Mr N. H. Hunt, the international marketing director of Thomas Borthwick and Sons, Ltd, in Christchurch yesterday.

However, he said, he| did not expect them to; rise the way they had in the last year. | “By the same token, I do; not expect any.marked fall; i in prices beyond small seasonal fluctuations.” i The world shortage of red meat was likely to continue well into the foreseeable future, said Mr Hunt. Mr Hunt said that Japan offered an exciting prospect for beef exports from New Zealand, particularly in chilled form. CHILLED LAMB His company was studying and slowly developing a trade for chilled New Zealand lamb in Britain, but it was seasonal, being only economic when English lamb was short —from February to June. Mr Hunt said that the growth of the trade in packaged meat cuts would probably be slower than many people suggested. The problem with packaged cuts was that it took away flexibility from the butchers, many of whom preferred to

supply according to the requirements of. the customer. The trend towards buying packaged cuts had largely been developed by the supermarket chains, which in Britain, for instance, had a 17 per cent share of the meat trade. Mr Hunt said that, apart from certain markets, the air-freighting of meat appeared to have limited possibilities. “Air-freight-ing of meat in bulk certainly does not compared with containerisation, which has, in recent years, semi-revolution-ised the meat trade,” he said. One of the dangers to the industry was the development of protein synthetics, to which some consumers might turn to avoid the rapid leaps in prices such as occurred last year.

The industry had to sell its products at prices within the reach of the average housewife unless meat were to become a luxury food. Such a change would mitigate against everyone in the industry, he said. Next year, Mr Hunt’s company will hold an international meat marketing conference in Bermuda to assess the industry’s long-term and short-term possibilities. “Basically, the aim of the conference, which is the first our company has ever held, will be to anticipate market situations rather than, as in the past, react to them,” he said. Mr Hunt, whose base is in London, is making one of his periodic visits to inspect meat processing and marketing progress.