Lamb promotion 'disappointing5

Press, 16 July 1983, Page 24

Lamb promotion 'disappointing 5

PA Auckland The promotion of New Zealand lamb in the United States should be improved, as the Meat Board’s present campaign is not working effectively, says a technical institute meat tutor, just back from an eight-week study tour. Private enterprise would probably do a better promotion job, said Mr Gerry Freeman, of the Manukau Technical Institute. He said he found the board’s promotions “disap-

pointing.” They had shown “little measure of success.” In the year ended September, 1982, New Zealand lamb sales in North America brought in ?78 million. However, because of ?66 million worth of unsold stock left over at the end of the year the Meat Export Development Council (Devco) — the American marketing arm of the Meat Board — recorded a ?1.7 million loss. Mr Freeman said he believed that there would be

better selling and marketing of New Zealand lamb if the Meat Board allowed private companies on to the American market. “A person with his own company and produce at heart will work much harder towards that end." he said. He believed New Zealand had only two options, either to get completely out of the American market or to start a joint promotion campaign with American sheep producers.

Americans ate just about all their lamb kill, so that if a joint promotion programme increased consumption from the present low level of 500 g a head a year, New Zealand sales would improve.

Mr Freeman said American consumers did not want to be tied down to prolonged cooking or difficult carving in an age when supermarkets held a multitude of boxed, quick-pre-paration dinners.