U.S. sheepmen and Meat Board confer

Press, 11 February 1983, Page 10

U.S. sheepmen and Meat Board confer

Meat Board members will confer with United States sheep producers’ representatives in Christchurch today at the annual meeting of the Lamb Promotion Co-ordinat-ing Committee. The L.P.C.C. is jointly funded by New Zealand and the United States to promote the consumption of lamb in the United States. Its efforts are aimed at generic promotion of lamb and are separate from the advertising and promotion work of the Meat Export Development Co. (N.Z.) Ltd. or Devco, which is the selling company for New Zealand lamb in the United States. Until recently, Australia was also a member of the L.P.C.C. and although it has withdrawn financial support, the chairman of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation, Mr Geoff Jones, and the deputy chairman, Mr Harry Bryant, are also in Christchurch as observers to the meeting. The committee will hear reports from staff of the American Sheep Producer’s Council, who run the L.P.C.C.’s campaigns in the United States. At the annual meeting last year the New Zealand Meat

Board agreed to contribute < ?U5200,000 each year for two ' years towards the work of the L.P.C.C. Three organisations representing the sheep industry in ; the United States also contri- «• bute an equivalent amount in i cash and labour by their - executives. Those organisations are • the Sheep Producers’ Coun- . cil, the National Lamb Feeders’ Association and the . National Wool Growers' Association. Representatives from all three are in Christ- ; church. The chairman of the New " Zealand Meat Board. Mr » Adam Begg, said yesterday I that the exchange of information was the most im- : portant role of the L.P.C.C. New Zealand lamb pro- J ducers, through the board. ; and their American counter- • parts, were making continuing efforts to promote the consumption of lamb in the ' United States. New Zealand exports of . lamb to the whole North American ' market slumped ; badly last year to' 14,440 - tonnes in the year ended " September 30, 1982. The United States took ’ 7100 tonnes compared with 14,900 tonnes the previous year.