Calves worth $2M for South Korea

Press, 14 May 1979, Page 2

Calves worth $2M for South Korea

Angus and Hereford calves worth more than S2M are going to South Korea. There are 5000 in the sale, including 1800 from the South Island. The order has been won by the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association, Hawke's Bay Farmers, and Allied Farmers, of Auckland, against competition from the United States, Canada and Australia. The cattle, aged between seven and nine months, and averaging 200 kg, are being taken in three shipments. The first 1400 were loaded at Tauranga on Friday. Another 1800 from throughout the South Island will be taken by the Coden, a Clausen Line ship which is due in Lyttelton on May 20. The cattle in this vessel will be accompanied by a veterinarian and by Mr G. B. Henderson, a senior stock agent with New Zealand Farmers. The final 1800 cattle to

fill the order will go from Napier in the Middle of next month. The cattle have been bought by the National Agricultural Co-operative Federation of Korea; a party of 10 Koreans has been in New Zealand inspecting stock for the order. Mr H. L. A. Morley, manager of the stock and station division of New Zealand Farmers, said that the cattle would be used for breeding as part of a stock improvement programme. Some would go to a joint New Zealand-Korean beef project. The South Island cattle have been assembled near Christchurch and will be in quarantine for a week before sailing. On arrival in Korea they will be in quarantine for a further 15 days. They have all been vaccinated, drenched, and dipped to comply with animal health requirements. On the journey it is expected that they will each consume daily about 4kg of hay and 2kg of concentrates.