MEAT FOODS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 93, 17 October 1934, Page 12

MEAT FOODS

SANITATION AND CLEANLINESS

DR. C. J. REAKES'S COMMENTS

"New Zealand has a distinctly high meat consumption, and to meet this requirement it can justifiably be said that the service of distribution is very well organised," said the Director-Gen-eral of Agriculture, Dr. C. J. Reakes, in an address delivered today to the annual meeting of the Dominion Council of Master Butchers' Associations of New Zealand.

"One noticeable feature of this lies iv the regard paid by those in the trade to tho principles of sanitation and cleanliness in handling meat," remarked Dr. Reakcs. "A great advance in this has been made during the past thirty years, and the average butcher's shop oi' today reaches a good standard iv this respect. Also, refrigeration facilities and the application of these to retail requirements have proved of tho greatest value to the trade in aiding its ability to supply the public always with sound, well-conditioned meat foods.

"Apart from the efforts of the retailers in the direction of sanitation and cleanliness in their handling of meat, the meat inspection laws of the country ensure that in our cities and most boroughs a reliable system of Government inspection of stock on slaughter is carried out through the medium of the public abattoir system, thus preventing meat unfit for human consumption through disease or other causes being sold for food purposes, while at the same time enforcing the maintenance of good sanitary principles in the abattoirs.

"Tho operation of these abattoir laws may at times cause littlo troubles to ariso between butchers and abattoir authorities, but taking the Dominion as a whole they work smoothly and well. Where local troubles do arise they aro generally capable of settlement, if both sides will use good judgment and common sense, and it has been my experience during a number of years of official association with the administration of this legislation that there has usually been found a reasonable basis of settlement.

"There are certain points in tho existing legislation which, through the progress of time and tlio changes which have come about, can be amended to advantage as soon as the way is cleared for doing so. Our country just now is passing through a difficult period, and major problems—some of farreaching importance—have necessarily to bo given first place in the endeavour to do tho best for tho whole- community."

Dr. Roakes stated that of the stock slaughtered in New Zealand, it was estimated that approximately 300,000 cattle, 2,000,000 sheep, 450,000 lambs, and 350,000 pigs wero utilised annually for local requirements. This was equal to approximately 2501b per head of population per annum made up of 1301b of beef, 831b of mutton, 121b of lamb, and 251b of fresh pork, bacon, and ham.