Devco seeks more lambs

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33925, 19 August 1975, Page 12

Devco seeks more lambs

i Bi/ our Parliamentari/ reporter)

WELLINGTON. A procurement of 1.6 m aged and conditioned lambs. plus 70,000 to 100,000 squatposture lambs, is being isought for the North; American market by the Meat Export Development Company (N.Z.) Ltd, for the 1975-76 season. Both figures are well up on those for last year (1.15 million and 35,000 respectively), and a spokesman for Devco said that he wasj (hopeful these figures could| be achieved, although this; would depend to a great ex-j (tent on the number of stop-i (pages at key works.

“We have indicated to a few meat companies that we would pay a price similar to that of last year, but it is really too early to say what the price will be until the exporters announce their lamb schedule,” he said.

Although procurement should be up everywhere, he expected Otago and Southland to remain the biggest suppliers, and he expected the traditional ratios of 70 per cent from the South Island and 30 per cent from the North Island to continue. There were too many Y grade lambs produced in the I North Island for its per- j centage to be much higher. Devco anticipated a carry i over of 290,000 cartons of I

iamb into its new season/ beginning on November 1 which was about the desirable level and somewhat; fewer than had been carriet ; into the current season this figure would not include any boneless lamb 01 legs, which were the pre ferred buy in North Amer ica, and arrangements were being made to increase sup plies of these in the new 1 season as well as procuring : and seeking to sell the' whole lamb. The spokesman said that squat-posture lambs were; "carving a niche for themselves” in North America, : even though a number of I people had been pessimistic! about their long-term pros- j pects. which was why Devco was doubling its procure-! ment of them.