EXPORT MEAT MARKET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21245, 27 July 1932, Page 10

EXPORT MEAT MARKET

Interest has developed early at Ottawa in the question of Britain's oversea? meat supply. South Africa has been responsible for this, having urged a claim for assistance in building up a trade in chilled beef, and thus shaking the grip which South American countries, principally Argentina, have on the British market. As conditions stand this isolated question has but a limited interest for New Zealand. The figures for years past, brought up to date by the report of the Meat Producers' Board, Just issued, show that the beef trade is almost negligible compared with the export of mutton and lamb. For example, in 1931 New Zealand sent 150,814 quarters of beef to the United Kingdom, compared with 5,865,500 landed there from South America. In the same time this country supplied 7,956,000 carcases of lamb and 2,320/000 of mutton out .of the respective totals of 16,642,000 and 4,923,000 imported. Australia sends more beef, but is not at- present a formidable factor in the market. Her development in the past two or three years has been in rivalry with New Zealand for the fat lamb trade. Nevertheless, South Africa's demand has stimulated interest in the beef position. Both Australia and New Zealand would be glad to increase the range of their exports by sending more beef, and to many parts of this country the possibility of fattening more cattle profitably would have an important bearing on the maintenance of pastures in Rood, condition. -That point was made clear by the commission which reported some years ago on the reversion of pasture to secondary forest, growth. Australia and New Zealand suffer at present by

the necessity for freezing beef for despatch, as it cannot compete effecwith chilled beef from Argentina. South Africa is free of this handicap.' But it must not be thought thai preference for Empire beef, and the conquest of the cold storage problem on which scientists are working, would mean that the battle for the British market was won for the three Dominions. The Imperial Economic Committee pointed out in 1925 that the South American producer, by years of careful breeding and management, held a high position in the market on quality. It summed up the position by saying "the South American is in a position to maintain a continuous supply of uniformly graded carcases of the age, type and finish which best satisfy the requirements of the United Kingdom." Years of hard and specialised work will be necessary if Empire countries, even given favoured conditions, are to oust so formidable a rival from the British market.