Appeal to farm leaders

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 2

Appeal to farm leaders

The chairman of the Meat Industry Association, Mr Joe Ryan, has again appealed to farming leaders to join in an attack on the common problems besetting the meat industry. He was concerned that Federated Farmers leaders had apparently rejected his earlier appeals and “continued their political posturing.” Mr Ryan was responding to an attack on his style, and in particular on a speech he gave last

week to Federated Farmers, by the Dominion junior vice-president of the meat and wool section, Mr Dick Davison, of North Canterbury. “While Mr Davison may have been ‘extremely disappointed’ at my remarks, at least everything that I did say was factual,” said Mr Ryan yesterday.

Mr Davison had said that Mr Ryan attacked the position of Federated Farmers over the level of sheepmeats schedule

prices and then warned the farm leaders not to comment publicly any further.

“Very simply, that is a complete distortion of what I said,” Mr Ryan said.

“I have previously appealed to Federated Farmers leaders to put an end to this wasteful bickering through the news media and join constructively on an attack on the common problems besetting our industry,” Mr Ryan said.