‘Very Gloomy’ Outlook For British Meat Supplies: N.Z. “One Bright Spot”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22819, 14 December 1948, Page 5

‘Very Gloomy’ Outlook For British Meat Supplies: N.Z. “One Bright Spot”

IN.Z. P.A.—Renter—Copyright.l

(11.30 a.m.)

LONDON, Dec. 13.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food, Dr. Edith Summerskill, said in the House of Commons today that the supplies of bacon available by the end of the year would be about 10,000 tons less than

requirements of the weekly two-ounce ration, and the prospects for meat were “very gloomy.”

Earlier the Minister of Food, Mr. J. Straehey, had told the House oL’ Commons that because of the increasing consumption of pig products in Canada, Britain would get only 81.000 tons of Canadian bacon produced in 1948 against 100,000 tons Britain had agreed to buy.

Dr. Summerskill said that Britain had signed a new agreement with Denmark for 90 per cent, of her exportable surplus of baccn and was negotiating with Poland for a five years’ contract. Eire before the war supplied Britain with 27,000 tons but now could not feed her own population. Home bacon production in 1949 was estimated at 110,000 tons compared with 74,000 tons in 1948. Dr. Summerskill added that the amount of meat available in 1948 had been considerably less than in 1947 and inroads had been made into stocks of canned and corned beef. Australia had contracted to sell her entire exportable surplus of beef, veal, mutton and lamb up to September 1950 New Zealand was the “one bright spot” with supplies of about 360,000 tons of carcase meat yearly which was nearly 100,000 tons over pre-war shipments. Purchases of meat from Canada had been made impossible because of dollar difficulties.

Britain was negotiating with Hungary, Yugoslavia and Russia for maize for animal food and hoped to receive supplies in the ensuing year.