MEAT MARKET ABROAD

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10514, 8 April 1927, Page 3

MEAT MARKET ABROAD

PRODUCERS BOARD REPORT. The New Zealand Meat Producers Board has received the following letter from its South American Representative, dated 18th January, 1927: “Messrs Vestey Bros. have commenced slaughtering in their large new plant situated on the South Dock where five thousand head of cattle and ten thousand sheep can be handled. per day. The first of the new passenger boats built by Messrs Vestey Bros, for passenger and meat carrying from this country is now loadipg the first meat sent from the new works, and other new boats are expected here shortly to cater for tiie conveyance of passengers as well as carrying that firms chilled meat. “Prices for fat cattle continue very low and unrenumerative to sellertaoi fat steers, while it is very difficult to get the Freezing Companies to look at any cattle, so large is the offering, though there is the possibility that with a hard winter fat ee.ttle would be scarce and difficult to obtain. It is stated that one large buyei of store steers for fattening has lost over half a million nesos in the liquidation -ol' the fat cattle he has fattened off Llie spring and summer grass or alfalfa. “Values of fat sheep have fluctuated considerably according to the entries in the local market, when heavy arrivals of lambs brought down prices.

“The wheat harvest appears, to have been generally good, while the Coming maize crop is most promising. Pastoral conditions are satisfactory for this time of the year and all live Stfick are in good condition. Very warm weather has lately been exi>crienced and much rain has fallen all over the country.” SHIPMENTS OF MEAT. FROM SOUTH AMERICA. The New Zealand Meat Producers Board has received a cable from its Representative at Buenos Aires, South America, advising the following shipments to the United Kingdom lor the fortnight ended 17tli March, 1927, from Argentine and Uruguay 236,230 quarters chilled beef; 11. 909 quarters frozen beef; 73.702 carcases frozen mutton ; 98,000 carcases frozen, lamb. The quantity shipped to the Continent of Europe during the same period was as follows; 208,900 quarters frozen fceof ; 24,6G6 carcases frozen mutton.