Meat workers veto live-sheep export to protect N.Z. jobs

Press, 24 October 1978, Page 1

Meat workers veto live-sheep export to protect N.Z. jobs

A trial shipment of 10,000, live sheep to the Middle; East has been vetoed by the; Canterbury Meat Workers’ ; Union because it fears the! jobs of New Zealanders! might be endangered. The shipment was planned by a Sydney company, Ifab, Ltd. It could have led to the export of 40,000 to 60,000 live sheep each year, according to the company’s New Zealand agent, Mr R. Dts- 1 sor. However, the union would allow only a “token” shinment as long as it was accompanied and eventually replaced by exports of frozen carcases, said the secretary of the Canterbury Meat Workers’ Union (Mr W. R. Cameron). Mr Cameron said the New Zealand union had had to, adopt this policy because; meat workers in Australia had lost their jobs after live shipments. About six million sheep were exported live from Australia last year. Recent shipments of live sheep have been allowed from Nev; Zealand because they were destined for

, breeding purposes in Ru-i I mania, Chile and China. f j Mr Cameron said there! I was no chance of a ship- 1 intent's leaving New Zealand; | without the union’s approv-i al. ’ He said the union had talked of allowing shipments : that promised six frozen' carcases for each live sheep, but only if these were longterm markets which phased ] out live exports. Mr Dossor said this ratio ■ would not be possible for j his company. It had intended to export to smaller Middle ■ East countries which did not have cool-store facilities., “We were talking of frozen ' shipments in a ratio of four to one, but I do not think we can do any better than, that,” he said. 1 Live shipments were hard- ' =er to obtain in Australia be-| ! cause sheep were so far; from ports, he said. His! '■’omnany had looked at Newj Zealand and found farmers; were willing to by-pass the; meat works and export live' sheep. The sheep would have! come from the northern part; of the South Island, as far!

south as South Canterbury. They would have been held at Picton (where Mr Dossor is based) before shipping, he said. They had to be held 10 days before shipping, and could be killed at the Picton meat works if “anything went wrong.” The losses in ships were “less than a fraction of 1 per cent,” according to Mr Dossor. In a shipment of 20,000 aboard a converted tanker, about 20 sheep were the most that had died on the voyage from Australia. Mr Dossor said that the sheep, mostly wethers, would have been shorn before export, and the latest the company could make a shipment would therefore be the end of November. The company’s plans had not been approved officially by the Meat Board “but it is certainly not objecting,” Mr Dossor said. He said he had reported back to Australia and that he might discuss the company’s plans with the Minister of Agriculture (Mr MacIntyre).