CATTLE INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 147, 17 March 1933, Page 12

CATTLE INDUSTRY

Chilled Beef Shipments

MARKET IN ENGLAND

Outlook is Heartening

PROSPECTS FOR DOMINION Dominion Special Service. Masterton, March 16. A heartening outlook on the futw» of the Dominion's cattle industry', particularly through the possibilities of an export trade in chilled beef was taken at a meeting of the Wairarapa Provincial. Executive of the Farmers’ Union to-day. The rise in prices due to the increased exchange and the benefit of the quota system wero pointed to as encouraging feigns. Also the announcement made at the meeting that the experimental shipment if chilled beef on the Port Fairy had arrived in good order was regarded in the same light. The question was raised by a letter from the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board in reply to criticism by the executive of lack of activity in chilled beef research. The board pointed out that it was co-operating with T. Borthwick and Sons. Ltd., in the recent experimental shipment, and that it had undertaken, in the event of any loss, to bear half the loss to a maximum liability of £5OO. Sir William Perry, a member of the board, stated that the board had also arranged with the Railway Department to secure the right type of trucks to convey the meat to Wellington, and had seen that only the best meat should be shipped. He mentioned that Borthwicks had been most careful in this respect Good Beef For Future. Sir William said that he had had advice that the meat had arrived in quite good order. There was no doubt the successful chilling of meat would open up a new field for beef in New Zealand. This shipment was going on a very weak market, but the point was not what the beef fetched, but that it had been carried Home successfully. The big question now, he added, was to set to work and produce good young beef for the future. With the exchange and Home quota in operation, said Sir William, more ox beef was being killed to-day than had been for some years. He believed one firm had an Army contract, which woulAmake R difference. The price today made it worth while to put cattle iu the works and the killing had increased tremendously since this time last year. In 1932 there was a very small export trade; in fact, in the winter months it had hardly been possible to give beef away. This year it would be very much different. Mr. H. Morrison:. The local works are going at top. Sir William Perry: That is going on ip other parts, too.

Effect of Unemployment. Pointing out that there was a tendency to control imports into the Old Country and that at the present time New Zealand was being specially favoured by the limitation of Argentine meat, Mr. J. C. Cooper said that farmers must bear in mind ’that in England at present were about 3,000.000 unemployed. When conditions got back to normal there would be a big demapd for meat and beef always took first place. New Zealand must be prepared to supply that demand or else the Argentine or someone else would step in. He suggested that the Meat Producers’ Board'should take the matter up and inform farmers exactly the type and age of the cattle required and the methods of feeding, because he could see there was a big advantage ahead and farmers should get busy. Another point, said Mr. Cooper, was the control of shipments. The board had the power to control shipments, but he believed the difficulties of doing so were almost unsurmountable. He felt, though, that the board could assist farmers more than it was doing by giving full information as to what was going on so that the farmer could plan his business ahead. Argentina’s Position. “I don’t know whether you know there is no compulsory quota on chilled beef from Argentina,” ' observed Sir William Perry. The Argentine had agreed with the British Government to cut down exi)orts by 10 per cent, for two months, he said, but. the. British Government at Ottawa would not agree to a compulsory quota. This might affect New Zealand’s trade in chilled beef. Argentine exports of frozen beef, however, were cut down. As far as supplying information to farmers was concerned, said Sir william. the Meat Board was in a difficult position—it could not prophesy. Recent reports, he added, indicated that the main point at Home was want of confidence. They were afraid to buy ahead. It was hoped that the action the Meat Board was taking would give that confidence and raise the prices. On the motion of Mr. J. C. Cooper the meeting unanimously carried the following resolution: “That the Meat Producers’ Board be asked to keep growers. fully informed as to the requirements of the Home meat trade and as to how local growers were to best meet these requirements, also to supplv the fullest information regarding the type of cattle to grow for chilled beef export, the most suitable type of feeding to achieve the best results, and the fullest possible details of costs.”