Weighing facility for Addington?

Press, 5 October 1984, Page 22

Weighing facility for Addington?

Sir,—l note with interest the recent announcement of the planned redevelopment of the cattle selling facilities at Addington. The development of a covered ring selling complex has many advantages. One of the main ones is the potential to incorporate a weighbridge in the lead into the ring to record and display the average liveweight of each pen of

cattle as it enters the ring prior to sale. Under the present pen selling system it would be logistically difficult to weight all cattle but a ring selling complex and the availability of increasingly sophisticated electronic weighing systems makes weighing prior to sale quite feasible.

While some may consider that the display of liveweight eliminates the comparitive advantage of the experienced over the inexperienced buyer, there are . many other ways in which the shrewd buyer can exercise his skill to his advantage. Others would contend that since weight is the major determinant of price, knowing liveweight at time of sale removes at least some of the risk in buying cattle and would thus instill confidence into potential purchasers to the benefit of the beef industry.

Most other countries with developed beef production systems consider weighing cattle prior to sale as an essential and valuable service to their cattle industry. New Zealand tends to lag behind in this regard for live cattle although it does have a very high proportion of cattle and sheep sold for

slaughter on a weight and grade basis in which, of, course the carcass scale plays an indispensible part. Your article on the new, facilities planned for Add-' ington did not mention, whether the inclusion ofscales was intended but I trust the Canterbury Sale--yards Company has incorporated them into the overall plan. Dr A. M. Nicol, Animal Sciences Group, Lincoln College. The chairman of the Canterbury Saleyards Co., Mr J. G. Strack, replies: “The question of weighing cattle for sale has been discussed periodically over recent years and to date there has been no real demand for such a facilitity as Dr Nicol envisages. However, the planned redevelopment will make the installation of a weight bridge a possibility even if a costly one and if a demand should arise we will naturally look at the matter again. It is our aim to meet the needs of the fanning community and to supply the facilities at Addington for the efficient handling and sale of livestock.”