PORK AND BEEF

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20929, 7 January 1938, Page 14

PORK AND BEEF

DECLINE IN QUALITY SMITHFIELD EXPERT S VIEW Exports of New Zealand pork to England have shown a decrease in quality, according to Mr L. Van Swanenberg, who arrived at Auckland by the Mataroa last week. Mr Van Swanenberg, who retired recently after 40 years’ association with the meat trade at Smithfield market said he had been out of touch with the English market for about six months, but he had noticed when he was actively associated with it that the standard of New Zealand pork was not what it was two or three years ago. New Zealand chilled and frozen beef had also deteriorated in quality, Mr Van Swanenberg contained, just as Canterbury’ lamb, once the best of the Dominion’s lamb, had now been surpassed in quality of the beef exports chiefly to the fact that the country did not have a really good dual purpose breed. The Great War had caused a rapid development of the dairying industry and the beef, since a large proportion of the farmers had undertaken dairying, was not as good as it was when the country was mainly devoted to sheep-farming. Several years ago New Zealand pigfanners had decided to learn the lessons taught by their Danish competitors. Importations of stock had been made and a determined effort started to improve quality. Since then, however. it seemed that farmers had not continued their attempts to build up their pork. To do so. stock importations must be continuous. It was useless to import a good boar and then relax breeding efforts. Unless a sample of New Zealand pork was available for use as an example. it would be difficult to point out where the Dominion’s pork exports fell short of those coming on to the Smithfield market from other countries. However, it was noticeable in England that a pig might be longer in the legs than it used to be. or there might be less meat on the back than formerly. New Zealand pig farmers should continue to study the requirements of the English market and keep on importing stock from overseas in order to build up the quality of their exports.

Mr Van Swanenberg contradicted some reports that New Zealand’s meat exports were not being sold under their own name, but as Empire produce. It was quite obvious, he said, that sections of the people were looking for the Dominion's products, and that part of New Zealand's marketing was in capable hands.