Italian interest in N.Z. meat

Press, 9 June 1978, Page 15

Italian interest in N.Z. meat

A party of Italian meat importers is at present visiting New Zealand. With the group is Mr G. C. Consalvi, marketing officer at the New Zealand Embassy in Rome, who has been one of the organisers of the visit, and also Mr R. J. Hieber, who is agent for the Towers group of companies in Rome and also other New Zealand interests and who has also been associated with the organisation of the tour. Mr Hieber came to New Zealand with his family from Jugoslavia when he was a secondary schoolboy and completed his secondary education at Auckland Grammar School and later took a bachelor of commerce degree at Auckland University. He subsequently decided, with an ability to speak several languages, that he could best serve New Zealand while working overseas and some 70 to 80 per cent of New Zealand meat now entering Italy comes through companies which he represents. During this export season, according to Mr Hieber, about 5000 tonnes of New Zealand meat will be going into Italy, which is about twice that of the previous season, and it is expected that the trade could increase still further. Italy has not traditionally been a large meat-eat-ing country — it was in-

itially very largely cjnfined to the more affluent part of the population — but during the economic boom after the World War II consumption increased greatly and became more widespread. According to Mr Consalvi, the members of the group are mainly interested in lamb, although beef is the main meat xten but custom barriers are an obstacle to development of that trade, though they hope that there may be some liberalisation of European Economic Community regulations as far as that commodity is concerned. However Italians prefer a lamb weighing only about 6 to Bkg, which is only about half the size of the average New Zealand product. Lambs have been imported from South America and Mr Hieber noted that for New Zealand to break into the Italian lamb market was rather like some other country trying to break into the British market against New Zealand, in that the South American lambs had often come from people of Italian extraction. There is also a $l5O to $lBO per tonne freight advantage for the South American product over New Zealand. However, there have been some developments recently that have favoured the trade with New Zealand. Now, except for

Patagonia, bone-in meat cannot be imported from South America into the E.E.C. as a precaution against foot and mouth disease. This, Mr Consalvi says, has increased New Zealand’s chances on the Italian market. At the same time the old requirement in Italy that fresh and frozen meat have to be sold in separate premises no longer applies, and with the Italian consumer now under pressure to accept other frozen products the frozen product is gaining ground. One of the reasons for the former separation of the two products was to protect the consumer against frozen meat being sold as fresh. The containerisation of meat has also proved to be a big advantage in that it has removed many of the problems associated with sorting out consignments that occurred in precontainer days, and frustrated importers to the point that they would have given the trade away. Lighter lambs more suitable for the Italian trade have also been received from New Zealand, but more still needs to be done if the trade is to be developed further. Mr P. Catalan!, who is in business near Florence and has imported lamb and beef offals from New Zealand. underlined the point when he said that they would be prepared to import more New Zealand produce if New Zealand

exporters were willing to take more notice of their requirements. The indications w-ere that assistance was needed with sales promotion and also education of the Italian consumer to accept the New Zealand product, and while it was noted that the 6kg to Bkg lamb was that most desired, if the consumer could be shown that Bkg to 12kg lambs were also just as tender, it was likely that he or she could be persuaded to accept that sort of carcase also. The hope is that prices will increase to the point where it will be worthwhile for farmers to specifically produce lambs of the type required bv the Italian market, and it seems that the South Americans have found it has been possible to sell at higher prices than in the past. Recent increases in consumption have apparently been more in the catering trade than through the housewife. One of the early calls of the party during their visit to New Zealand this week was at the Islington works of Waitaki NZ Refrigerating, Ltd, and as they entered the modern beef house at the works Mr Consalvi noted that the modern mechanised procedures would no doubt impress his colleagues with their interest in things mechanical, as symbolised by Italian organisations like Fiat.