BRITISH BEEF PRICES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18235, 2 November 1933, Page 7

BRITISH BEEF PRICES

GUARANTEE PROPOSAL LEVY ON ALL IMPORTS LONDON, Nov 1. The Central Associated Chambers of Agriculture passed a resolution recommending that a landing charge of 2d per in on all imported foreign beef should ce made, all of which should be returned to the importer when the price of prime beef was not below 6d per lb and Id returned when the price was not below sd. Nothing would he returned when the price was below 4d. The object of the resolution is to enable the producer to get round Acts of Parliament. It was reported in London recently that in spite of the large body of farming opinion which is supporting a scheme for a guaranteed price for home-grown beet', the Government has given no indication that it is prepared to consider the proposals at all favorably. Indeed, a suggestion has been made in official quarters that such a scheme would he a contravention of the Ottawa agreements. Farmers, however, are not deterred. Several branches of the National Fanners’ Union, including Norfolk, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, have pass ed resolutions in favor of the scheme, and headquarters have been asked to take the question up with the Minister of Agriculture. The scheme provides for a guaranteed price of 48s a tfWt. The difference between that and the average price paid in the open market would be paid from a fund created by a levy of a penny a pound on all imported meat sold to a wholesaler or retailer. It is estimated that such a scheme would produce £9,000,000 a year for beef producers of this country. Meanwhile beef prices are far below the cost of production. A reporter nas received an account from a noted Norfolk farmer in respect of the sale of four prime bullocks at Acle market. They were of the type and weight wanted by butchers. Yet they averaged only 33s a cwt.