HORSE AND GOAT MEAT

Grey River Argus, 28 June 1945, Page 7

HORSE AND GOAT MEAT

POSSIBILITY OF EXPORT. New Zealand horses and goats may possibly be slaughtered for export to Western Europe. This is shown by inquiries made by the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board. It is understood that if the proposal proves practicable, sufficient goat and horse flesh will be available to help out the problem of feeding the starving populations of Europe, to whom horse and goat flesh is a common and acceptable item of diet. All meat exporting companies in New Zealand have been asked by the Meat Board to supply information on horses and goats available, facilities for killing and other difficulties. ’ Because of the absence of goats and the availability of a comparatively small number of horses, the proposal is not considered likely to be developed in the South Island. In the North Island, the management of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company has asked slaughtermen if they will co-operate. The Secretary of the Union (Mr. W. E. Sill) stated the slaughtermen are considering the proposal, as they are on piecework rates, and rates would have to be fixed for the new work. “The slaughtering of horses and goats would be difficult to assess for wages rates, as the men have had no experience. So far there has been no meeting and nothing definite has been decided',” said Mr. Sill. “It was considered that slaughtering horses would be a very different proposition from slaughtering cattle, and goats would be different from sheep and lambs. The matter has so far come before a section of the union only,” said Mr. Sill, who added that he was not in a position to say what the next development would be. “There are plenty of goats and horses in the back country,” said an officer of the Agricultural Department. “Goats are plentiful in parts of the North Island, particularly in the hill country of Hawke’s Bay, Poverty Bay, Bay of Plenty and' Taranaki. They are used to keep back blackberry, and are very useful for this purpose. Although I would not attempt to estimate the size of the herds, there might be 100,000 or more. I know of one area of about 40,000 acres in Hawke’s Bay where there are 6,000 or 7,000 goats. Horse flesh is also more plentiful than people imagine, particularly on the sheep stations. There would probably be tremendous numbers of horses available for killing.”