ANIMAL FOODS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 50, Issue 3056, 31 March 1941, Page 6

ANIMAL FOODS

FREE CUSTOMS DESIRED

FARMERS’ UNION SUPPORT

That there were cattle and pig foods found extremely useful in Britain and on'the Continent that could be landed in New Zealand, if duty free, at the low prices of £5 to £6 10/- per ton, was. stressed at the monthly meeting of the Matamata Branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union in a circular from the Auckland Provincial Executive of the union. The circular continued that tapioca meal was the best known, and duty of £2 4/- was paid on it. Animal food of foreign origin was charged 9/10 in the pound ad valorum, a really criminal duty, as farmers could not get such valuable foods within the British Empire, It was intended to make ,another attempt to get animal food placed on the free list. The aim had been pursued for 12 years without success, but the possibility that baconers would be the only meat exportable from dairy farms before long brought the question of cheap pig food right to the forefront of matters of importance to farmers.

Value of Copra

Every branch would have to take the matter up if the Government continued its old policy of practical prohibition of imports of cheap cattle food. The union appeared to have had a big win in connection with copra, and this was due to the executive drawing the Government’s attention to the fact that it had a lot of State-owned copra going bad in Samoa.

However, copra could not now be secured, on account of inability to secure overseas credit. When the price of copra rose, as it was stated it would, copra would go off the market—but the meal, the residue, was still of great value. The little obtainable in New Zealand sold readily, mostly for mixing in proprietary foods, at £8 10/- to £9 a ton ex works. Farmers paid much more for it.

Mr F. C. Bush commented th’at if copra was made available to farmers it would save the lives of thousands of pigs throughout New Zealand owing to the oil it contained.

Government Not Assisting

Mr H. Rollett said that while they were arguing increased production of bacon the Government was not assisting with the importation of the necessary foodstuffs. Mr H. E. Sutherland said that the Government had asked the farmers to grow more barley for pigs, and it was the only thing the farmers had not done. However, copra was far superior to barley as a pig food. Mr Rollett added that 90 per cent, of pigs which died in winter succumbed to pneumonia, which was preventable by the use of such foods as copra.

The chairman said that one winter he had bought cod liver oil at 10/- per gallon to winter his pigs oh, and it had paid well. On the motion of Messrs Rolett and Duxfield it was decided to support the efforts of the Auckland executive to obtain the free entry of farm foodstuffs to New Zealand.