Britain’s Meat Supply Will Be Critical Till August

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22915, 6 April 1949, Page 7

Britain’s Meat Supply Will Be Critical Till August

(N.Z.P.A. —Reuter —Copyright.) (11.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 5, Mr. Anthony Eclen today pledged the Opposition’s full support to the Government in resisting any attempt to hold Britain to ransom in the current AngloArgentine meat negotiations at Buenos Aires.

He was opening a debate in the House of Commons on meat supplies, and he told members that lie did not think there was, any overseas market from which Britain could expect any substantial increase of meat for the home consumer.

“Long-term possibilities of supplies from Australia are most, promising, but in the immediate future it does hot seem that we ought to look for-any large incease.” he said. N.Z.’s Gallant Attempt Mr. Eden said that New Zealand was making a gallant effort to maintain her supplies, but he did not think that Britain could look for anything more than a modest increase from there. Mr. Eden said that Britain’s present meat and bacon ration was “desperately small and pitifully inadequate.” The mass of the people were worse off than they were before the war and worse off than many of their counterparts in other countries in Europe. This was due to lack of foresight in purchasing and the deliberate result of the Government’s failure to find feeding supplies for the farmers.

The Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Food, Dr. Edith Summerskill, said that home production of meat would probably reach about 760,000 tons in 1949. “In the meantime we face a very critical period,” said the Minister. "From now until home production becomes available in August and September, we will have to conserve our supplies very carefully.”

Dr. Summerskill said that whereas Australia used to send Britain 200,000 tons of meat annually, the amount had dropped to 150,000 tons annually.

Nevertheless it was still felt that Australia offered the best prospect of increasing supplies. Dr. Summerskill said that Britain should be deeply grateful to New Zealand for the help it was giving. New Zealand before the war sent Britain 260,000 tons of meat annually. This had been increased to 360,000 tons. Dr. Summerskill said that increased production' of meat in Australia, New Zealand and the Argentine depended upon British assurances of a continuing and practically unlimited market. For that reason, Britain had entered into long-term contracts and had asked New Zealand to enter into another contract for seven years.