EXPORT OF LAMB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23686, 19 December 1938, Page 4

EXPORT OF LAMB

MEAT BOARD'S COMPETITIONS JUDGING AT BURNSIDE WORKS HIGH QUALITY STOCK DISPLAYED The annual field day for farmers and the judging of the entries in the New Zealand Meat Producers' Boards district competition for export fat lambs was held at the New Zealand Refrigerating Company's works at Burnside on Saturday morning. An exceptionally high standard of quality was displayed in the stock entered for the various trophies, the total entries being 49, comprising 147 lambs. The competition in Otago is conducted each year by the Meat Board with the cooperation of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company and the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society, which organisations carry out all the local arrangements. There were three competitions—one for prizes offered by the Otago A. and P. Society for district competition, judged on the hooks, one for the New Zealand Refrigerating Company's prizes for the best pens from Roxburgh, Taieri and Strath-Taieri, ana the third, the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board's challenge shield for the best district display of lambs from the South Island. This will be judged in London. The judging was carried out by Mr R. McGregor in collaboration with Mr Clark Neil. Results of Judging Each pen consisted of three lambs, and not more than two pens were to be entered by each farm. The competitions were confined to lambs bred for export and not for stud purposes. After the killing the judges selected 15 pens (45 lambs) to constitute the district's entry in the Meat Producers' Board's competition. Results:— District competition, judged on tne hooks.—J. J. Scott (Roxburgh) 1, Estate of Hugh Boyd (Mosgiel) 2, J. Watt (Roxburgh) 3, J. A. McDonald 4. J. Young (Allanton) 5. Best Pens from Taieri, Roxburgh and Maniototo Districts.—Taieri district: Estate of Hugh Boyd 1 and 2, A. Grant (Outram) 3. Roxburgh district: J. P. Scott 1, Estate of R. G. Woodhouse 2, J. Watt 3. Maniototo district: G. Mcintosh 1 and 3, L. A. Black 2. Value of Competitions After the completion of the judging short addresses were delivered by Messrs H. D. Acland and James Begg, members of the Meat Board. The speakers were introduced by Mr J. M. Fraser, vice-president of the Otago A. and P. Society. Mr Fraser complimented the growers on the very fine standard of the entries, and thanked the judges for their work and the Refrigerating Company for the manner in which the competition was organised. The competitions were originated by the Meat Board, said Mr Acland, with the object of educating the farmers in the requirements of the London buyers, and they had been of enormous value. Within the last few years similar competitions had been inaugurated in Australia and the Argentine intended to follow the example. With these facts in view, the New Zealand growers must use every endeavour to keep up the very high standard that had been attained in the past. A lightweight lamb was wanted by the London butchers, and in some cases the second-quality lamb paid better, from the farmer's point of view, than the first-grade, as London might give id more a lb. The farmers should remember this and provide what paid them best. The speaker then referred to some of the problems that confronted the board in the regulation of supplies, shipping contracts and the regulation of distribution.. In the Argentine nearly all the meat marketing was controlled by half a dozen large firms, but lately legislation had been passed to enable a local organisation to handle 15 per cent, of the work. It was in Dunedin, Mr Acland said, that the frozen meat industry was first started, and since then New Zealand had exported to England nearly 300,000,000 lambs and carcasses of mutton. In England there had been some criticism of the dressing of New Zealand sheep, and the speaker urged the companies to give this matter very close attention. The country had practically no other market, and the imposition of a quota, as was desired n. some quarters, would be a very serious matter. The high reputation enjoyed by New Zealand meat in Great Britain was no doubt due to the high quality and the advertising campaign that had been carried out, and the people were now beginning to realise what good meat it was. In conclusion, Mr Acland paid a tribute to the work of the London representative of the board, Mr R. Forsyth, who, he said, was bred in Otago. Importance of British Market Mr James Begg referred to the high quality of the exhibits judged that day, and made a special reference to the excellence of the stock from the Roxburgh district. Such quality was essential if the. Dominion was to maintain its position on the overseas markets. The breeders of fat lambs and stud stock breeders generally had the future of the export trade in lambs in their own hands, and only bv adhering to the highest possible standards could they hope to retain the high place they had held for many vears It was not easy to secure the hew strains which were necessary in sheep breeding to keep the level of quality up, but that should not deter breeders from doing everything in their power to produce only the best stock. The importation of good stock from Great Britain must be continued, provided new blood could be secured at reasonable prices, if the standard of New Zealand flocks were to be maintained.

Mr Begg stressed the importance to the New Zealand exporter of the British market and the necessity, for the cultivation of goodwill between Eritish importers and exporters in this country. An increase in British flocks had had the effect of increasing the quantity of home-killed lamb on the Smithfield market; and. if the New Zealand lamb were to be expected to hold its own against all competition, it must be the best. He paid a tribute to the work of the Meat Board in its efforts to develop the possibilities of the London market. It had embarked on a great advertising campaign which had undoubtedly achieved excellent results. Evidence of the effectiveness of the board's advertising was comprised in the fact that New Zealand lamb had been able to hold its own on the Smith field market, and even to improve in price slightly, in the face of a sharp decline in the ruling rates for home-killed lamb. There were two things the board must continue to do; it must keep on advertising and it must make every effort to improve relations with Great Britain by the encouragement of reciprocity of trade. The Meat Board was spending a lot of money—the producers' money—but it tried to spend where it could produce the best possible direct results. One avenue of expenditure which he thought had been well worth while was the £IOOO to £ISOO a year granted to the low temperature research station at Cambridge, which, among other things, had discovered and patented a valuable process which had resulted in the building up of the chilled beef trade. The value of export fat cattle in consequence had risen by £4 a head, and there had, of course, also been a resultant improvement in local fat cattle prices. Actually the research work at Cambridge., had in this direction alone, added about £500,000 to the national income in New Zealand. In conclusion, Mr Begg referred again to the relations that should exist between Great Britain and New Zealand. Britain treated the Dominion very well, he said, and New Zealand should lose no opportunity of reciprocating in every way possible. After all Great Britain was the mainstay of the pastoral industry in New Zealand, and farmers should never lose sight of that fact.