Meat exports fell 5 p.c. this season

Press, 9 December 1982, Page 14

Meat exports fell 5 p.c. this season

PA Wellington Meat export tonnage dropped nearly 5 per cent this season, according to final figures published by the Meat Board. Shipments in the year ended September 30, 1982, .totalled just under 733,000 tonnes, compared with just over 767,000 tonnes the year before, according to the board's magazine, the “Meat Producer.” Lamb exports dropped about 11 per cent, from 377,000 to 334,000 tonnes. Beef exports showed a decrease of about 2 per cent, to about 222,000 tonnes. Only mutton shipments were up on the previous season, mainly because of a 27 per cent increase in export to the Soviet Union which took 63,000 tonnes, and a 135 per cent increase in exports to Britain, which took 13,000 tonnes. Other meats, chiefly offals,

showed a 6 per cent fall, to about 68.000 tonnes. Total meat shipments to the European Economic Community were up from about 251,000 tonnes to 293,000 tonnes. This was mainly because of an increase of almost 40,000 tonnes in lamb exports to Britain. They had fallen heavily the year before because of a prolonged seamen's strike. Shipments of lamb to North America dropped nearly 76 per cent, to 140,400 tonnes. However, exports were particularly high in 1981 and with a poor sales performance'in 1982, stocks in New Zealand have built up, the “Meat Producer” says. There has also been a big drop in lamb exports to the Middle 1 East, from 136,600 to 67,400 tonnes. Lamb exports to Iran fell from about 90,000 tonnes to

52.000 tonnes, as a result of long delays in signing of the 1982 contract. Exports of lamb to Saudi Arabia fell from 11.000 tonnes to just under 6000 tonnes, partly because of difficulties in meeting Saudi Arabian requirements that meat arrive there within 90 days of slaughter. No contract was made with Iraq in the 1981-82 season, after sales of 30,000 tonnes of lamb the year before. The Iraqis had large stocks of meat left from the previous year, and New Zealand faced strong competition from South American countries, especially Uruguay. In spite of the drop in shipments, the meat industry remained the country’s biggest dollar-earner, receiving $2003 million, or 29.8 per cent of total export receipts.