MEAT SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 122, 26 May 1930, Page 5

MEAT SUPPLY

THE BRITISH OUTLOOK

A FEELING OF CONCERN

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, loth April.

The dangers of a continued decrease in the production of meat in this country, and an increase in the invasion by America into the meat markets of Argentina, was discussed at the annual conference of the National I'cderation of Meat Traders' Associations, .which -was held at Llandudno, North Wales, last ■week.

The fear was expressed that the position would grown so acute that meat prices in this country might become almost prohibitive. The conference passed a resolution, proposed by the London lletail Meat Traders' Association, declaring that it was the duty of meat distributors to call the attention of the Government to the. continued decrease in the production of cattle, sheep, and pigs in the United Kingdom, and viewing with concern the condition in which this country might find itself should a considerable percentage of our present imported supplies be diverted to another country. Mr. J. Edwards, of London, moving the resolution, said that the question of meat supplies was a very vital one. It was a regrettable fact that for our supplies of beef we had become increasingly dependent on foreign countries. From the Argentine alone we received over 50 per cent, of the beef consumed in this country. He had studied the whole question oi world production, and he thought the continuation of meat supplies was not secure. Recently in London he was astonished to see a great American importing firm engaged in the Argentine trade buying New Zealand beef and shipping it to the United States. This business had grown so much that ships from New Zealand coming to England had been diverted to United States ports. DECREASE IN HOME PRODUCTION. "I want to know," he said, "where America is going to look now for her next supplies to feed her growing population. I can see nowhere else in the world except the Argentine." The only one thing which could help this country was an increased production. It was for politicians to find out how that could be done, but he was convinced that it could be done it some method of stabilising prices were devised with some form of guarantee bo that the home producer could compete against foreign goods produced at lower Mr. Knighton, London, said that the last census showed a decrease in home production of 58,000 cattle, 150,000 sheep, and 680,000 pigs. As a trade organisation they viewed the position with alarm. If the home producer were encouraged to produce more the trade could undertake _to sell more of its goods rather than foreign products. ■ Another delegate said that the iederation should make it quite clear that they did not support any proposal for a tax on food. ■