MEAT PRODUCTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 40, 15 January 1944, Page 4

MEAT PRODUCTION

AFFECTED BY DRY SPELL DECLINE IN KILLINGS (Press Assn) WELLINGTON, Jan. 14 Reports on conditions attecting stock throughout the Dominion have been received from the supervising meat graders by the New Zealand Meat Producers Board. These show that the objective of killing heavier weight lambs this season will be difficult to achieve as the feed position is' unsatisfactory in most parts ot the country. Details of the report for the week ended January 8 are as follow : Auckland district.—Weather conditions arc becoming very serious, but have not reached the desperate stage. Pastures are dried up and rain is badly needed. The holding of lambs for extra weight has been a failure in this district. . West Coast and Taranaki.—lM dry spell continues on this coast and. the position is now rather serious. Little or no rain has fallen lor weeks and drying winds have been almost continuous over the past fortnight or so. It is the driest summer Taranaki has experienced for years. It is reported that areas as far north as Taumarunui are also very dry. Generally, feed is fairly plentiful, but it is dry feed and therefore not good for lamb fattening. Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay.—■ Again there lias been a week of very hot weather, worse than anything experienced so far this summer, and even the nights are hot This is going to ston all growth of feed and very soon burn un what feed there is. 'ln fact. Hawke's Bay is looking burnt up already. Wairoa and 1 overtv Bay are not so burnt up as Hawke's' Bav, but it is dry m both those districts. Lambs aro going ott already, more so in the Poverty Bay and Wairoa districts. IN THE MANAWATU.

Manawatu and Wairarapa.—The weather has continued hot and dry. Pastures are drying off and lambs are showing the result of the long drv spell. Canterbury.—Weather conditions in Mid and North Canterbury are still very hot and dry. Feed for stock is scarce and rapidly drying up. This is noticeable from some lines of lambs that have come forward for killing and also in the fat lamb pens at tho Addington sale, where a large number of forward stores were offered.

Otago and Southland.—Weather conditions over the holidays were fairly changeable, and though 'rain fell on several occasions there was not enough to do much good as very hot days followed. A good fall of rain is badly wanted, especially in the hill country, as it is beginning to look very dry. The report adds that as the feed is going off in the hill country farmers are killing off lines of lambs that are definitely not rcadv. EXPORT KILLINGS. In the first report of export killings at tho Mew Zcalnd freezing works this season, issued by the board, the handicap of dry climatic conditions is evident. Tho official figures cover the period from the opening of the works till January 1, and show that this season's export lamb production compared with the corresponding period last season has declined to the extent of 760,906 carcases-. Details of lamb and mutton killings (with those of the previous season in parentheses) are as follow: North Island.—Lamb carcases, 1,056,467 (1,633,973) : wether mutton carcases, 17.094 (37.172); ewe mutton carcases, 15,820 (73 263). South Island—Lamb. 112,941 (296,341); wether mutton, 49 (17); ewe mutton, 493 (563). Totals.-Lamb. 1,169,408 (1,930,314); wether mutton, 17,143 (37.189); ewe mutton, 16,313 (73,826).