Prospect good for Beta lambs

Press, 19 August 1983, Page 18

Prospect good for Beta lambs

Meat exporters are offering a price of 245 c a kilogram this year for baby or Beta lambs, which dress out at no more than 7.5 kg. Four export companies have reached agreement with the Meat Board on a common schedule for Beta lambs and they are hopeful, that this will stabilise the Beta lamb trade.

The industry was disrupted last year because of an oversupply of lambs on the Italian market resulting from a carryover of stocks from the previous season.

Last year the four companies — Fort Export, Ltd, Canterbury Frozen Meat, Ltd, Waitaki N.Z. Refrigerating Ltd, and Primary Producers Co-operative Society — agreed on a coordinated approach to Beta lamb marketing but this loose agreement was disrupted when individual exporters increased the price to farmers. The trade will be monitored closely this year by the Meat Board and a selling price has been set for Beta lambs in Italy. Beta lambs must be no more than six weeks old, dress out at no more than 7.5 kg and must be drafted directly from their mothers.

The price of 245 c provides farmers with a viable alternative to growing their lambs on to heavier weights, particularly in drought-prone areas.

Mr Graeme Thompson, managing director of Fort Export, Ltd, said the Italian market could take at least 30,000 lambs this season, and this figure would be only skimming the sur face.

The Italian market was established by Fort four years ago when 10-12,000 lambs were exported. In following years other exporters supplied the market and it was flooded with 60,000 two years ago. Last season an estimated 15,000 lambs were sent to Italy in addition to the remainder of the held-over stocks from the previous year. The maximum weight of 7.5 kg is critical because if lambs are heavier they will be placed in the alpha grade of the lamb export schedule which carries a much lower price. Mr Thompson said it was advisable for farmers to weigh their lambs before consigning them to the works, although some drafters were expert at drafting for Beta lambs. He suggested that farmers should send a trial draft of 10 to 20 lambs to the works to see what weights they killed out at before sending any large numbers.

Mr Thompson said- that Fort was confident that with the disruptions of the past year overcome exporters could accomplish some solid market development which had been sadly lacking in recent years.