MEAT PRODUCTION

Grey River Argus, 29 July 1940, Page 10

MEAT PRODUCTION

SUPPLIES FOR EXPORT. By a substantial, margin New Zealand, in th e season just closing, established a record in the quantity of meat killed for export. The. kill of lambs exceeded 10,000.000, and the production of mutton and beef were both records. In reviewing the season, the annual report of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board attention to the decrease in the Dominion's flocks, which has occurred in the period in which th e record was established. «

“The sheep flocks in the Dominion as at April 30, 1939, totalled 31,897.091, a reduction of 481.683 on the previous year’s record total of 32,378,774,” the report states. The number of breeding ewes at April 30, 1939, stood at the record figure oi 19.960,299. representing 62.6 per cent of th e total flocks, th e highest percentage over the whole Dominion was estimated at 85.26 per cent,. 01 a yield of 17,017,395 lambs. “The effect of the record kill this season, so far a s mutton and Jamn is concerned, is reflected in the teturns at April 30, 1940. The official interim figures just to hand show that the total flocks at that date arc now estimated at 31,050,850, a decrease of 846,241. The breeding ewes at th e same date are officially estimated at 19,676,458, a decrease of 283 841. This occurred wholly in th:.South Island, Where the estimated decrease is 314,000. In the North_lsland .there is an estimated increase of 30,000 which brings the net decrease to approximately 284,000. “Last season’s record kill has been exceeded by this season’s production, 1 and a fresh record has been established in bcfcfl, mutton, and lamb. The total weight of meat of all classes killed for export at all works during the current season to June 1 was 11,726,844 freight carcases, representing an increase over th e previous season’s killings .to May 31, 1939 (the nearest comparable date) of 1,649,922 freight carcases. This improved production represents an increase of 16 per cent. Lambs killed this season total 10,001.149 (North Island 5,180,064, South Island 5,821,526), an increase of 746,048, to which the North Island contributed 634,526 and the South Island --1,522. If an increased kill of say, 650,000 carcases is maintained to the end of th e season, the percentage of export killings to tailings for the I"]- 940 season will be 61 per cent., the highest figure yet recorded. “A very substantial increase is also shown in the mutton group. the wether killings this season having hjeen 1274,287 carcases, and ewes 1841895 Compared with the corresponding'period of the previous season, wether killings have decreased by 141,000, but the killings of ewes for export have increased by 715,000, making a net improvement this season of 574,000 carcases. . “This season’s killings of beef in quarters total 510,493 (North Island 503,358, South Island 7135), as compared with 331,598 quarters for last (season, representing thfe large increase of 54 per cent., or 179,000 quarters. “In the original war purchase agreement, the British Government stipulated that 75 per cent of the total weight of pork shipped should be. in the 1011 b to 1801 b range viz, baconer weights. However, in A P r < ‘ 1 : the- United Kingdom Ministry of Food agreed to th e removal of this restriction on the percentage oi porkers to baconers, though its existence for a substantial P art season resulted in the porker killings to June 1 being 98,069 carcases on y, a s compared with 345,155 for corresoonding period of last seaso . Farmers have carried their P ™ baconer weights, with the result tha killings of this type are 131,761 cm_ cases ahead of those for viou s season. The result is that al though in numbers, the killings porkers and baconers together have dropped by 115,000 (534.383 last season and 419,058 this season) the cur iSt production i ? actual weight is now equal to that of last year.”