Beef prices up again; some lamb down

Press, 30 December 1978, Page 3

Beef prices up again; some lamb down

Farmers will receive more; for beef, but less for some classes of lamb, when killing [ resumes at freezing works on Wednesday after the Christmas-New Year holiday break. All prices for beef for export have been raised by 4c per kilogram on top of recent increases, but the meat of lightweight P. Y,| land O grade lambs will be| [worth 2c per kilogram less. I ; The schedule of beef! 'prices has been put out in a! I new form with more weight! ! ranges in each grade. Mostj [ranges now cover about 25; I kg. [ The improvement in beefj [prices reflects the continuing jstrengthening of the AmeriIcan market. On. the other ihand, the reductions for the

i PL, YL, and OL grade lambs are a reflection of the weakening market in Britain. A factor in the British ; lamb market is the heavier weight of lamb now reaching the market, which is a reflection of the earlier start to the kill this season. To December 16, more than 67 | per cent more lambs and [sheep had been killed at freezing works in the South J Island than at the same ’ stage of last season. The kill | then was 3,258,722, which [was up by 1,313,696. ! Although with all the feed I about it has not been a season when there has been I great pressure to have lambs killed, some Canterbury works now have a backlog of lambs waiting to be killed.

J Mr N. G. Cornelius, stock- ! buying manager of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, Ltd, said yesterday that while C.F.M. was still killing sheep up to the last week of November, because there was not a full lamb kill, in the last week of killing before the holidays C.F.M. had had requests to kill 200,000 more lambs than; j could be handled. i There could be a further! [downward adjustment in the; lamb schedule at the end of; Inext week, when it is expected that meat companies will probably announce a further increase in processing rates to take care of recent wage increases granted to workers in the industry. It has been suggested that the further increase might amount to 50c or more a lamb, which would have the effect of reducing the price of the PM grade killing out at 13kg to 16kg to close to 72c a kg, the level of the minimum price at which prices to farmers will be supplemented out: of the sheepmeats stabilisation or buffer account to bring them up to the 72c level. At the other end of the scale, cattle producers will have a part of their proceeds skimmed off into the beef stablisation or buffer account, but the extent of these payments has not yet been announced. The new prices are: Lamb.—PL, 8 to 12.5 kg, 76.5 c i: per kilogram; YL, 8 to 12.5 kg, 74c; OL, 8 to 12.5 kg, 72.5 c. |

BEEF ! Steer.—Pl: 160 to 220 kg, 90c r per kilogram; 220.5 to 245 kg. 93c; 245.5 to 270 kg, 96c; 270.5 to 295 kg, 97c; 295.5 to 320 kg, 98c; 320.5 to • 345 kg. 99c; over 345.5 kg, 100 c; I G: 160 to 220 kg, 86c; 220.5 to 245 kg, 89c: 245.5 to 270 kg, 92c; . 270.5 to 295 kg, 93c; 295.5 to 320 kg. I 94c; 320.5 to 345 kg, 95c; over : 345.5 kg, 96c. LI: 160 to 220 kg, ; 89c; 220.5 to 245 kg, 90.5 c; 245.5 to 270 kg. 91.5 c; 270.5 to 295 kg. 94.5 c: over 295 kg, 98c. L2: 160 II to 220 kg. 89c; 220.5 to 245 kg. 90c; J 245.5 to 270 kg. 91c; 270.5 to 295 kg. 92c: over 295 kg. 93c. T: 160 to • 270 kg. 86c; 270.5 to 295 kg. 88c; ! over 295.5 kg, 90c. E: 160 to 270 kg.. f 78.5 c; 270.5 to 295 kg, 80.5 c; over; 295.5 kg, 82.5 c. M: up to 145 kg. 81c; 145.5 to 170 kg, 84c; 170.5 to > 195 kg, 87c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 89t; L over 220.5 kg, 90c. , Heifer.—Pl: 160 to 195 kg. 86c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 89c; 220.5 to 245 kg, ■ 92c; 245.5 to 270 kg, 95c; over 1 270.5 kg, 96c; G: 160 to 195 kg, 82c: 195.5 to 220 kg, 85c: 220.5 : to 245 kg, 88c; 245.5 to 270 kg, 91c; - over 270.5 kg, 92c. LI: 160 to 195 kg, 87c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 89c; 220.5 to 245 kg, 90c; 245.5 to 270 kg. 91.5 c: over 270.5 kg, 92.5 c. L2: 160 to 195 kg. 87c; 195.5 to 220 kg. 89c; 220.5 to 245 kg, 90c; 245.5 to 270 kg. 91c; over 270.5 kg, 92c. T: 160 to 270 kg, 84c; 270.5 to 295 kg. 86c; over 295.5 kg, 88c. E: 160 to 270 kg, 76.5 c; 270.5 to 295 kg, 78.5 c; over 295.5 kg, 80.5 c. M: up to 145 kg. 81c: 145 to 170 kg, 84c; 170.5 to 195 kg, 87c; 195.5’t0 220 kg, 89c/ over 220.5 kg, 90c. Cow.—Pl: 160 to 195 kg, 78.5 c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 82.5 c; 220.5 to 245 kg, 35.5 c; 245.5 to 270 kg, 87.5 c; over 270.5 kg. 88.5 c. G: 160 to 195 kg, 76.5 c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 80.5 c; 220.5 to 245 kg. 83.5 c; 245. to 270 kg, 8.5 c; over 270.5 kg, 86. c. T: 160 to 270 kg, 79.5 c; 270.5 to 295 kg, 81.5 c; over 295.5 kg, 83.5 c. E: 160 to 270 kg, 67c; 270.5 to 295 kg, 69c; over 295.5 kg. 71c. M: up to 145 kg, 81c: 145.5 to 170 kg, 84c; 170.5 tQ 195 kg, 87c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 89c; over 220.5 kg, 90c. Bull.—Up to 195 kg, 101.5 c; 195.5 to 220 kg, 103.5 c: 220.5 to 245 kg, 105.5 c: 245. to 270 kg, 108. c; 270.5 to 295 kg, 111.5 c; 295.5 to 1320 kg, 114.5 c; 320.5 to 345 kg. 1117.5 c; over 345.5 kg, 120.5 c. 1