NEW ZEALAND MEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22832, 17 March 1936, Page 14

NEW ZEALAND MEAT

EXHIBITIONS AT SMITHFIELD (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, February 8. There have been three special displays of New Zealand meat at Smithficld market recently. Messrs Hayes, Paine and Knowlden arranged an exhibit of chilled beef of cattle judged on the hoof at the Wanganui A. and P. Association’s show. Altogether the parcel comprised 170 quarters and was shipped per the s.s. Port Hunter by the New Zealand Refrigerating Co., Ltd. From the date of slaughtering to the day of marketing there was a lapse of (14 days, and all things considered the condition of the meat on arrival was very satisfactory, although it lacked that bloom which is so desirable, and hero and there some of the quarters showed evidence of gas stain. In some cases, also, ice had penetrated the tissues of the meat and detracted slightly from its marketable value.

The judges on this side were Mr W. Bates ahd Mr J. I. Hamilton. The Meat Board had written to the secretaries of all the cattle societies, and representatives of some of these societies inspected the meat—Mr Lacy acted for the Red Poll Society, Mr Britton, the Hereford Herd Book Society, Mr S. Pulliam, the Shorthorn Society, and Lieut.-colonel T. Dunlop Young, 0.8. E., M.R.C.V.S., the Aberdeen-Angus Society. According to the judges the quality of the consignment, mostly well fed two-year-olds, was very good, but on the whole the crossbreds were the best of the bunch. In the matter of butchering and dressing there was also definite evidence of progress on previous Dominion shipments. Messrs J. Wyley and Son’s exhibit, which took first place on the hoof, was awarded first place as beef. Mr L. C. Anderson’s exhibit, awarded second place in New Zealand, was Hot placed at Smithficld. Messrs J. Wyley and Son’s third prize exhibit was awarded second place at Smithficld. Their highly commended exhibit gained third place here, and Mr T. Mitchell’s highly commended exhibit was also highly commended as beef.

A display of 474 carcasses of show lambs was arranged by Messrs W. Weddel and Co. These were from the Waikato A. and P. Society’s Show, and the carcasses were carried by the Port Hunter.

Mr Sydney Finter (of Messrs Eastmans, Ltd.), Mr Frank Dennison (of Messrs E. G, Hears), and Mr Frank Barter (of Messrs W. Weddel and Co.) acted as judges. In their opinion, the lambs established a new standard for the Waikato A. and P. Society Show, which view was also shared not only by the actual butchers who purchased the lambs, but by other butchers representing competitive houses and the usual critical onlookers who congregate on Smithfield Market at such displays. The handling and dressing ‘left very little to be desired, and those at the Westfield Freezing Works are to be congratulated on the care taken. The drawing up of the shoulders and the straightening of the scrag was creditably remarked upon by the onlookers of the display. As regards the quality, the judges considered that this year’s show contained a far larger proportion of what is termed “butchers’ lambs,” in other words, real meaty carcasses with no undue amount of fat. In this respect, while th.ero were undoubtedly a large number of maiden lambs in the consignment which usually tend to carry excess fat on the hustle, chine and scrag end of the shoulder, yet in these lambs great care appeared to have been taken in bringing them on. In consequence, the defect caused through over-fatness was greatly diminished. The awards were: —

Class 192—White-faced Litmbs.—First prize, Pen No. 1 ; second prize, Pen No. 3; thii'd prize. Pen No 2. Class 193 —Black-faced Lambs—-First prize, Pen No.' 30; second prize, Pen No. 7; third prize, Pen No. 34. Class 194—District Group Competition.—First prize, Group No. 1; second prize, l Group No. 2; third prize, Group No. 10.

Tlie judges considered the white-faced lambs (Class 192) to be a very good class indeed. They experienced a certain amount of difficulty in awarding first place. However, after a very thorough examination they gave their award in favour of Pen No. 1, on the grounds that they were the three handiest looking lambs in this class, whereas' in the case of Pen No. 8, which was awarded the second prize, this contained one maiden lamb which bad apparently “gone back” a little—fallen away be-

hind the kidneys and the chine —and was certainly not up to the standard of the other two in the same pen. Pen No. 2 was undoubtedly a very close third. It was not an easy task to judge the black-faced lambs (Class 193). The judges had the whole class hung on the hooks with a good space between each pen so there was plenty of room to examine each exhibit. After carefully examining each pen, the following were selected for further judging:—Nos. 7, 11, 14, 16,' 22, 25, 29, 80, 34, 35, 37. 38, and 41, from which were again selected for rejudging Pen Nos. 7, 11, 14, 30, 34, 35, and 41, as a result of which the judges had no hesitation in naming No. 30 as the winner. There was considerable difficulty in deciding whether No. 7 or No. 34 should take second place. Pen Nos 35 and 14 were very highly commended They contained very useful lambs. In the District Group Competition (Class 194) the judges, after sorting out what they termed “ weak lambs” in each group (not up to their idea of quality or on account of wastefulness), carried out a very rigid inspection and finally gave favour for first place to Group No. 1, second place to Group No. 2, and •third place to Group No. 10. A third exhibition was that ui ranged by Messrs Wilson Meats, Ltd. The exhibit was of chilled ox beef of 17 prize cattle entered in the Auckland Farmers’ Freezing Company’s Cup Class at the Waikato A. and P. Show at Hamilton. They were shipped in the Port Hunter. When judged on the hoof at Hamilton the awards were No; 43 first, No. 37 second, and No. 40 third. Mr Gunton, cf Messrs Wilson Meats, Ltd., inspected the consignment very / carefully and made the following awards; —No. 41 first. No. 37 second, and No. 38 third, closely followed by No. 40 and No. 53.

Messrs Wilson Meats, Ltd., report: “We were a little disappointed with the quality, as for prize cattle it was short of finish, many hindquarters being very plain in the buttocks and thin down the backs. Several of them Were big, rough, ugly cattle that would never be classed anything like prize cattle in any agricultural ffhow in England. On the other hand, some were really nice beef, well covered and full of meat, and just the kind that are wanted for this market.”