MEAT PRODUCERS' BOARD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 16 October 1922, Page 2

MEAT PRODUCERS' BOARD.

MEAT GRADING

The board has now made all the necessary arrangements regarding the supervising of the grading of meat. Competent supervisors have been engaged., and, commencing next season, will visit all works periodically. These supervisors will also inspect the handling of meat during transit, on wharves, and during luading operations on ship, and will be able to watch the same operations for butter and cheese.

New Zealand holds a unique position as regards the quality of her mutton anl lamT>, which has not been challenged by any other country, although Patagonia is now* tfeginning to export considerable quantities of saleable lamb, and has also lately been importing Southdown rams, and this fact is proved in the shape of the carcases now being sold on the Smithfieid market.

Salesmen who have been long in the trade are all of the opinion that we have nothing to fear regarding competition provided we maintain our grades^ and emphasise strongly the necessity of seeing that meat does not come forward under a wrong description.

During the war there can be no doubt the reputation of New Zealand meat has been undermined by some shipments of inferior beef and mutton, ana in consequence the public estimation of New Zealand "meat has been lowered.

, The British market has greatly changed since pre-war days. Whereas before the war the difference between the highest and lowest grades could be reckoned by farthings per lb, the market difference now is indicated by pence per lb, so insistent is the preference for choice quality. There is undoubtedly a market for every class of meat we can produce, but in the interests of the Dominion the more prime quality meat we can ship the better. Many farmers, in fattening their lambs, turn them off before they are quite ready. It is much better to finish a lamb properly. A large proportion of our lambs would profitably carry at least two or three pounds more weight. This would m«an a very material gain to the Dominion and improve the qual to the Dominion and improve the quality of our lambs on the market. As an illustration of the harm done by indifferent grading the board's attention has recently been drawn by its ■London branch to a particular case m point:—"A London salesman received a parcel of 300 lambs branded "prime. ' About thirty or forty were uncovered at random in the presence of the board's representative. Very few of those uncovered were prime, whilst many of them were but poor "seconds." The salesman complained bitterly that he had lost an exceedingly good trade in Brighton by forwarding a hundred similar lambs without inspection." _ The board quite realises the difficult job it has undertaken, but it also realises that if we are to hold our position in _ the frozen meat trade we must inspire, confidence in the buyer, and also encourage producers to send along nothing but what is prime. The board has issued a further tabulated statement of shipments of New Zealand frozen meat in the 1921-23 season, supplementary to the statement recently published. Shipments for the season were as follow : Beef, quarters, 290,118; mutton, carcases, 2,757,446; lamb, carcases', 4,644,621. - There were on hand in New Zealand at September 30: Beef, quarters, 34,225; mutton, carcases, 159,858; lamb, carcases, .78,601. Killings at all works during the 1921-22 season, commencing November 1, 1921, to September 30, 1922 (in 601b freight carcases) were: North Island, 3,881,307; South Island, 2,113,443 total, 5,994,750. Shipments arrived or to arrive in the United Kingdom: These now stand as under (beef being given in quarters and mutton and lamb in carcases) : — Beef. Mutton. Lamb. Port. 64,411 257,725 400,579 London 4,219 13,571 16,189 Liverpool 1,804 3,148 4,037 Manchester 2,287 1,180 — Glasgow 14,760 — — > London or Hamburg — — 5,002 Avonmouth 87,481 275,624 425,807 Total. "MULTIPLICITY OF MARKS, ETC. What the New Zealand Meat Producers Board considers a serious handicap m the handling of our frozen meat is the great variety of small parcels and the multiplicity of marks used. Not only has each freezing company its own leading mark or marks, but each shipper has his own sub-mark, to which is further added the grade marks, and a^ all freezing companies do not use the same grade marks, it further adds i to the trouble in sorting out at the j other end. Attention has been called to this matter again and again in the past, but Avithout any serious effort having been made towards improvement. Apart from the extra cost of handling these small parcels in the cold stores in Great Britain, and also the delay m discharging a vessel, another important factor is the necessity of shipments being prepared in such a way as will fall.in with the established methods of distribution at the other end, and thereby being in a position to compete with our rivals in the Argentine who prepare their shipments in accordance with the main requirements of the whole British market. As an illustration to show the multiplicity of marks at •''present being shipped, the following is an analysis of ■ a shipment recently unloaded in LonI don: —This particular vessel discharged ! 106,561 carcases of mutton and lamb. It had to be sorted into 791 different lots. Of these, 224 contained lots over 100, 567 under 100; and of the 567, 84 were under 50, 115 under 25, and 236 under 10. The board, in its endeavours to remove this handicap as Tar as possible, has for somei time .been in consultation with the freezing companies, and Has now decided to standardise all grade marks placed on frozen meat. The following are the new standardised grade marks: — Mutton—Prime wethers and maiden ewes, 481b and under, 1; 49 to 56, 7; 57 to 64, 3; 65 to 72, 9; 73 to 80, 5; 81 and over, 0; second quality wethers "and maiden ewes, X; ewes, 481b and under, IE; 49 to 56, 7E; 57 to 64, 3E: 65 to 72, 9E; 73 to 80, SE; 81 and over, 0E; second quality ewes, all weights, XE. Lamb—l*rime lamb, 281b and under, D (optional) ; 29 to 36, 2; 37 to 42, 8; 43 to 50, 4; 51 and over, T; second quality lambs, Y. Beef—Prime ox beef, 1601b and under, 1; 161 to 180, 2; 181 to. 200, 3;

201 and over, 4; second quality ox beef, A; prime heifer beef, H; cow beef O, seqond qualify cow beef, CX. ! Veal—Prime veal, ail weights, V; second quality veal, VX. > Second quality heifer beef to go along with cow beef. The grade 281b and under in lambs is optional, and may, if desired, be included in the grade 361b and under with the grade mark 2 Second quality wethers and maiden ewes may be graded according to weights, viz., 561b and under, XI; 571b . and over X 2. ' Second quality lambs may be graded according to weights viz., 361b and under, Yl; 371b and over, X _. The board has also, decided that for all meat killed after October 1, 1922, the minimum number of carcases of sheep or lambs which may be shipped m one parcel shall be 300. Such parcels may contain more than on% grade mark, but as lots of less than 100 sheep and/or lambs are subject to 33 J-3 per cent, additional storage charges in London, it is a recommendation of the board that small lots should be pooled whenever possible. The board may later increase the minimum number of carcases of sheep or lambs which may be shipped as one parcel to 500 if, after experience, it is found advisable. | As regards head brands, the board has no desire to interfere with existing head brands as they fully recognise the value of the present existing ones, ! which are well known in the trade, but believe that the "trade would be better | served generally if all works avoided! introducing new lieadmarks, except! where necessary in opening newi markets. The board believe that these improvements will bring good results, and should also materially help to minimise a lot of the damage to meat whilst1 discharging and sorting at the other! md. |