Farmers concerned about beef profits

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33514, 20 April 1974, Page 7

Farmers concerned about beef profits

The Meat Board will be informed of the “tremendous” concern felt by North Canterbury farmers about the lack of profitability in beef production.

This was decided at a .meeting of the North 'C anter b u r y Federated] Farmers meat and wool sec-! (tion in Christchurch vest er-’ |day after the chairman (Mr ]B. H. Palmer) had suggested’ That the production of beef] ■for export was now hardly; i economic. Never had market predictions gone more awry] ithan those made for beef, he! isaid. The present schedule; (price, compared with that at; (the beginning of the season/ I was down 24 cents a kilo Tor chiller beef, and 20c for ; boner cow. ; "Most well-known econo-. (mists, plus the Government,’ (plus the export companies,] (have continually encouraged; I fanners to diversify into ' beef. It takes something like ] three years for growers to istart reaping the benefits of ’diversification into beef, and ‘the three-year period is about now.’ To give the Meat Board its due, it had always emphasised that growers should not sacrifice their sheep production for beef, but had

implied that increases in production might be taken < e up in beef, said Mr Palmer, it! The provincial executive ; ”| should suggest to the Meat l C Board that it look into the i ; possibility of setting its own ' b schedule and market beef — e. similar to the way the board 1 ic'ran the lamb schedule in ; ol 197 L i ~.] “It is common knowledge]' djthat markets overreact, both! ■t I pessimistically and opti- t “Imistically. I believe the mar- < ket has overreacted at the t n moment, and that the beef 1 d prices must be nearing the t !’ bottom of the trough.” / The meat companies were t o not making an unfair profit t lout of beef. The industry i

had reserve funds, and, said Mr Palmer, these should be ijused to cushion adverse Imarketing conditions. I Mr F. W. Turrell (Motuka]rara) also expressed concern ! about the price drop, espe’lcially when the Government I was talking about a 10 per I cent wage increase. The (effect of rising costs on' (farmers might mean there. j would be no investment in ' it he industry. Programmes extended Because of public demand for the Young Women’s . Christian Association holiday programmes they have been extended. Children between the ages' of six and 12 will now be I catered for at three places—the city, Riccarton] and Burwood prem-i ises—from May 13 to May I 24.

These “stay at home”! camps wii! include a launch! trip, cinema visit, bus trips, ] games, and arts and crafts. ] Other programmes include; a glamour workshop and! “Teen week." The glamour workshop is; for girls aged from 13 to 15' ]and includes instruction on , 'hair care, make-up, and (wardrobe “Teen week” is for those aged from 13 to 15 and in-] eludes bushcraft, ca-'-er] talks and visits to jobs,] Maori culture, and various! visits around the city. Because of the demand for the programmes, the first applicants to apply will be accepted.