Beef prices up

Press, 20 March 1982, Page 2

Beef prices up

The Government supplememtary payments on lamb and some grades of beef have risen in the South Island export meat schedule effective from Monday. But farmers should not interpret these rises as a softening of the hard line taken by the Prime Minister (Mr. Muldoon) towards not increasing beef supplements tb compensate: beef farmers for recent reductions of between 8c and 14c a kilogram in South Island beef schedule prices. Neither have the South Island beef exporting companies raised their schedule prices again. The lamb supplement has been increased 9c to 25c a kilogram because of falling prices at Smithfield and continued uncertainly over a new Iranian lamb contract for 1982. The changes in the beef supplements are minor adjustments. The supplement for manufacturing beef has been increased by 1c to 25c a

kilogram and for bull beef by 2c to 11c a kilogram. But the increase in the lamb supplement has lifted prices in next week’s schedule for most grades of lamb, which may be some compensation for mixed .sheep and cattle farmers. The full lamb meat schedule is: PL (8 to 12.5 kg), 128 c. up 1c; PM (13 to 16k'g)( 146, steady; PX (16.5 to 19.5 kg), 151 c, up 1c; PH (16.5 to 19.5 kg), 141 c, up 1c; PHH (20 to 25.5 kg), 140 c, up 1c; YL (8 to 12.5 kg), 125 c, up 9c; YM (13 to 16kg), 137 c, up 2c; OL (8 to 12.5 kg), 125 c, up 1c; OM (13 to 16kg), 142 c, steady; A (8 to 12.5 kg), 131 c, up sc; F (8 to 25.5 kg), 95c, up 2c. For cutter lambs the schedule is: OIL (under 12.5 kg), 87c, up 4c; CIM (over 12.5 kg), 115 c, up 4c; C2 (all weights), 84c. up 4c; M (all weights), 25c, up 7c. All skin payments for woolly and shorn lamb skins have, also been increased by 30c a head. For a woolly lamb skin with o.skg of wool the payment will be 225 c; with Ikg of wool, 345 c; with I.skg, 470; with 2kg, 595 c. For a shorn lanib skin with o.2kg of wool the payment will be 143 c; with o.skg, 205 c; o.Bkg, 278 c, and I.2kg, 378 c.