Board to barter lamb to Poland

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 2

Board to barter lamb to Poland

NZPA staff correspondent London New Zealand will sell lamb to Poland through a deal to trade meat for mining equipment; said the Meat Board’s marketing manager in London, Mr Paul Spackman, yesterday. Mr Spackman said that the board would make the first sale of 18,000 tonnes this year because of a “counter-trade” arrangement. Capital equipment, mainly for mining, will be bought by New Zealand as part of a multi-million dollar programme for local projects The Meat Board will not disclose the value of the sale to Poland. But 18,000 tonnes of lamb would be valued about SUS3O million ($62.7 million) if sold on the British market. The Polish shipment will be carcases, and follows up a trial of 600 tonnes. Mr Spackman has made five visits to Poland this year as part of a concerted bid to set up the agreement, also involving Wellington officials and the New Zealand import agent, Neil Cropper and Company, Ltd. The deal was made in spite of a small demand for lamb in Poland. “We are competing in Poland with imports of very cheap European beef and pork, and we- have to approach Eastern Europe completely differently because it is short of hard currency," Mr Spackman said. “We have got to go in and look at what we can buy from them. We have made the sale simply because we are prepared to put in place a counter-trade.” Polish and New Zealand coalfields have similar geological features, and Poland’s mining equipment is well regarded. “There has been a need to convince New Zealand Government buyers, through the Mines Department, to look at Polish gear,” Mr Spackman said. Mr Spackman will return to New Zealand soon after six years heading meat marketing in London. He identified the counter-trade arrangement as a crucial pointer for the years ahead.