DISTRICT LAMB COMPETITION

Southland Times, Issue 23445, 28 February 1938, Page 2

DISTRICT LAMB COMPETITION

RESULTS REVIEWED BY ORIGINATOR SUGGESTION OF SUPER GRADE The Meat Board’s district fat lamb competition has provided valuable evidence of trade requirements, but is New Zealand profiting to the full, or will steps be taken to obtain greater results from the information acquired. These questions were asked at a meeting of the Poverty Bay A. and P. Association by the president, Mr J. C. Graham, when he reviewed the position. “In the fat lamb trade with Britain,” Mr Graham said, “New Zealand has established an asset which is the envy of all other sheep-producing countries, an asset which should be strenuously guarded but which in my opinion is accepted with far too much apathy, especially by some of our largest producers, who should be the most concerned. , „ . “In 1930 I visited the Royal Show in Sydney, and found that many farmers there, especially in some irrigated areas, were becoming very, interested in this trade and were seeking all the information possible about the methods adopted in New Zealand. At the same time I conceived a high opinion of their ability as stock breeders. “On my return I lost no opportunity in stressing the importance of supplying the British market with the article they wanted most. With this object in view I designed and induced the Meat Board to adopt what is known as the inter-district fat lamb competition. CHALLENGE TO DOMINION “On December 8, 1937, a news item drew my attention. It was headed ‘Challenge to Dominion. Fat Lamb Supremacy. December 7, London, and continued, ‘A campaign to combat the supremacy of New Zealand lamb on the British market was inaugurated today with die Australian Meat Boards first Australian-wide export lamb competition, in conjunction with the council of the Australian Society of Breeders of British Sheep.’ It then described the exhibition at Smithfield with some high praise by the judges on the quality, and wound up by comment from the trade commissioner that the board was determined to keep pace with New Zealand publicity. “Now what are the producers going to do about this challenge? Mr Graham asked. “Are they going to sit up and take notice, review the whole position of the trade and make an effort to still further improve our quality, or are they just going to allow things to drift along in a self-satisfied, apathetic manner believing that we have the best in the world and that our supremacy cannot be assailed. CANTERBURY’S NAME “We have already an example of the latter attitude in this same trade, Canterbury was the first to establish a supreme name on the market, and benefited by that name for a long time, but the North Island Southdown grade then got ahead of it, and it is significant that Canterbury has not yet won a place in the Meat Board competition. “In designing this competition I had three objects in mind:— . “1. To establish, - through the judgment of experts at the main centre of the market, the most desirable carcass for the trade. “2. Education to the producers, with a/view to the greater production of this mosMesirable carcass, “3. Publicity at the mam market through the exhibition there of selected lambs from all over New Zealand, together with the goodwill effect with our customers by demonstrating an attempt to supply the article they like b °“The Meat Board claims that the competition is a great success, and it is significant that the Australian board in their challenge of New Zealand supremacy has adopted a similar method. It is worthy of note that they have associated their efforts with the British breeders. With no restrictions on the importation of stud stock this will give them a pull regarding the goodwill effect. RESULTS MEASURED “Now the New Zealand competition has been going long enough to measure some results. It has, I think, established the Southdown-cross meaty lamb about 321 b weight, without any excess and wasteful fat as the ideal lamb to suit the market. Has it led to the production of a greater proportion of this class of lamb and raised the general standard of our shipments? I think not, simply because it is not the most profitable and there is no encouragement under our present marketing methods to produce that class of lamb. “Here is an example. Among several farming properties I have had under supervision is one on the hills which has a property on the flats run in conjunction. On the flat property the five-year ewes mated with Southdown rams are run, and produce this most desirable lamb about 331 b average. On the hills further back the wether lambs from the Romney flock are shorn and dipped, then finished off on the flats. For the past two years these lambs have brought from 2/- to 3/- a head more than the most desirable Southdown, in addition to the value of the wool shorn from them, the reason being that the heavier-boned Romneys weigh much heavier and are sold on the same buying schedule as the Southdown. ENCOURAGEMENT WANTED “Is the flock which discloses a weakness in the present marketing system to be offered any encouragement to. produce the article which will maintain our supremacy? “Here is an instance which suggests some weakness. Recently from another place I picked a small draft of Romney lambs. The killing sheet shows that nearly 50 per cent, of these were graded into the Southdown class. They were certainly very nice Romney lambs, but what chance would they have of getting into the selected lambs in the Meat Board or any other competition? “Yet another example can be examined in connection with the last competition held here. Quite a number were rejected from the selected lambs sent forward because they were overfat or overweight, yet these would probably make 2/- a head more than those selected as being the best. These examples all serve to illustrate the necessity for some better method than the present system operating which should offer some encouragement for the production of the article which will maintain our supremacy in this very important trade. PLENTY OF SCOPE “Those principally concerned in the trade are:— “1. The fat lamb producer, who should be offered every inducement to produce the best. “2. The breeder of crossbred Romneys, who supplies the ewe for the purpose to the former. There will be no 35/- to 40/- for two-tooth ewes, or 27/6 to 30/- for surplus five-year ewes if this trade declines, and it does not seem fair that wether lamb production which weakens the average standard should be on a par with the best. l “3. The meat-buying and exporting

firms who handle the bulk of the trade. Each of these interests is dependent on the others, and I think they should get together in conference and discuss the position from a national point of view. There is plenty of scope for each—either to improve or encourage the production of a higher standard than has yet been accomplished. “In this district there is already a movement to discard the Southdown and replace with Romneys. This must tend to lower the average standard of the lambs shipped. It appears to me that the establishment of a super grade under the direction of tire Meat Board comprising the class of lambs considered the most desirable with, the buying schedule revised in order to make this grade the most profitable, would soon develop an increase in the proportions of the quality. This should so strengthen our position in the trade that the efforts of our competitors in attacking our supremacy would be nullified to a great extent and probably fall flat.”