TYPE OF EXPORT LAMB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22911, 19 June 1936, Page 7

TYPE OF EXPORT LAMB

CANTERBURY'S NAME

PRESTIGE BEING LOST The name of Canterbury lamb on the London market' was going down every year, as a result of. failure to secure premier awards in the Soutli Island District Lamb Competition, contended Mr C. L. Orbcll, when the report of the SmithHeld judges was being discussed at the last meeting of the committee of the Timaru Agricultural and Pastoral Association. The reports from London, as in the past, indicated that the Canterbury lambs forwarded were too fat, said Mr Orbcll. “ It appears that if we are to continue in the competition, our methods of judging and grading will have to be altered. We are sending the wrong type of lambs Home, and are only doing ourselves barm.” The president, (Mr A. S. Elwortby) : They don’t want fat lambs. i Mr H. B. S. Johnstone said that records he kept for some years showed that in most cases the heavy lamb was more profitable to the farmer than the light lamb. If light lambs were wanted there should be an adjustment of prices. Mr Orbcll suggested that a grader should be brought out from Home. •“ I can’t understand why the graders select one type of lamb from Canterbury and another type from Southland,” said Mr W. H. Orbell. Mr T. R. Rhodes said that in many cases the farmers did not handle the lambs selected by the buyers, and consequently much of the educational value of the competitions was lost. Mr T. Seaton said that Southland Jambs were more even than those of Canterbury. The grader’s difficulty was to get an even run of lambs, said the secretary, Mr H. H. Fraser. “We in Canterbury have every type of lamb sent out from England; whereas in Southland yon see flock after flock of the same type,” remarked Mr W. H. Orbell. , Mr Johnstone; Ton can get over that by supporting the ewe hogget compctition. It was decided to discuss the matter when arrangements were being made for the next competition.