Thousands of lambs trucked south

Press, 15 November 1984, Page 3

Thousands of lambs trucked south

PA Ashburton Thousands of store or lightweight lambs from Mid-Canterbury and South Canterbury have been trucked to Southland in the last fortnight because of dwindling feed supplies. The lambs have been bought by the Alliance freezing works, or the Southland Frozen Meat Company and are grazing on Southland pastures until the works open next month. According to a Canterbury Frozen Meat Company stock buying manager, Mr Neil Evans, the competition from Southland buyers early in the season is not unusual.

In previous years Southland companies have bought prime or overfat lambs in Mid-Canterbury for processing at the start of the season.

Light store lambs have been sent south this year as farmers rid themselves of ■surplus stock. Mr Evans could not put a figure on the number of lambs that have been sent from the area.

“I would only be guessing. But it is likely to be in the thousands,” he said. It is believed' that 'the Southland ’ ■ Frozen' ' Meat Company has now stopped buying. But its activities have had an adverse effect on C.F.M. • “Had stock not been leaving the area, we Could have been' fully manned 'for the last 10 days,” Mr Evans said. All chains at the comE’s three works began g yesterday morning. There was a heavy demand for killing space, and Mr Evans expected that there would be a backlog from early next week. Lamb weights of 12kg are down at least Ikg on average weights at the same time last year. The Fairton freezing works at Ashburton will begin killing on Saturday niorning. Its manager, Mr John Barrell, said it was the earliest that three chains had opened and Saturday morning killing started.