More Frozen Meal For Dunedin Public In Near Future?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26776, 20 May 1948, Page 4

More Frozen Meal For Dunedin Public In Near Future?

Butchers would be forced to. offer the public more frozen meat in the near future, a man connected with the trade in Dunedin told the Daily Times yesterday. Because it was realised that this class of meat was not readily acceptable to housewives or anyone else, he said, the situation developing was not particularly bright. Fat stock were becoming increasingly difficult to procure, and the indications provided by the markets at present pointed to the fact that the public would soon have to take more frozen meat from their butchers or go without.

Butchers at the Burnside market yesterday were forced to pay extreme' prices for fat sheep, it was explained. One truck of more than 50 wethers realised 70s each and fat ewes sold at prices between 45s and 50s each. Such high prices had not been secured at this time of the year in the history of the yards, although higher values have been obtained later in the season. This was the fourth Wednesday that the yarding had been well below butchers’ requirements. This fact, in itself, when prices had risen so high, indicated the scarcity of sheep. It was obvious that, if stock were available, they would be offered for sale when such extreme rates were ruling. The offering of cattle at Burnside yesterday was a usual one for this time of the year, he said, when pennings are generally large as a result of tne farmers disposing of their stock before theMvinter sets in. It was apparent, he added, that in the course of a few weeks, the offering of fat cattle would be small, and high prices for these, as in past seasons, were indicated again this year. Reasons for the increasing value of sheep were various, it was explained. The good values offered by export buyers, particularly for ewes, saved the farmer the expense of feeding his sheep for further months. The feeding of stock to-day was a particularly difficult task; labour was unprocurable, and the amount of feed required for fattening stock could not be procured. Consequently, the farmers were keen to take the prices offered by freezing buyers and also the good values for breeding ewes.

The effect of the continuous dry seasons was also mentioned to the Daily Times. Farmers were disposing of their stock as early as possible. In the past, they often retained some of their wether lambs, but they were keeping back nothing now because of the good values being brought by fat lambs. It was stated that stock firms had made inquiries for fat sheep from Canterbury and Southland in an endeavour to improve the yarding at Burnside, but nothing had been obtained.

Referring to fat pigs, the speaker said that, as a rule recently, they had been scarce on the local market. This was. no doubt, caused by the shortage of feed, which was also reflected in the number of unfinished pigs coming on to the market. The production of pigs was declining. At the Burnside market yesterday, one truck of good class sows was sold to a Dunedin butcher for killing. If the present position continued the growing and fattening of pigs was likely to decrease further. “The butchers to-day. of course, are in a dilemma,” he concluded. “There is no limit to the prices they must pay for stock but their selling prices to the public are held down firmly by the tribunal. On top of that, they are now facing the serious prospect of having to offer the public more frozen meat.” ;