LAMB COMPETITION.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 326, 20 January 1932, Page 12

LAMB COMPETITION.

Farmers Visit Belfast Works. MUCH INTEREST SHOWN. With the dual object of interesting farmers in the production of first-class lamb and of giving them an opportunity of seeing their lambs prepared at the freezing for export, the New Zealand Meat Producers Board this year instituted a competition among districts in the North and South Islands for which a challenge shield and cash prizes were offered for export lambs. The judging for the North Canterbury section of this competition was conducted yesterday at the Belfast works of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Co., and attracted a good number of farmers and others interested in meat export. The board’s shield is to go to the district producing the best display, and the cash prizes to individual producers,’ the judging to be done when the carcases have reached Smithfield. A condition was that sixty lambs must be shipped from a district. Although eighty-one lambs were entered in the competition yesterday, it was found that the number over the maximum weight of 381 b was large, and that the required total could not be got together. The North Canterbury district will, therefore, not be a competitor in the board’s two competitions. The Canterbury A. and P. Association offered prizes for lambs judged on the hoof, first and second prizes going to Mr H. E. Peryman, of Tai Tapu. • Mr Peryman submitted two pens to the judge, Mr D. M’Laughlin, and carried off first and second prizes. The weights of the winning pen were 36, 35 and 36. The second pen went 39, 38 and 37. Third prize w’ent to F. Crump, whose lambs went 38, 39 and 42. Fourth prize was won by T. Stevenson with weights 36, 36 and 35; and fifth to John Brooks with weights 38, 40 and 43. During the day, those present were guests of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company and special arrangements were made so that they could see the full process, from the hoof to the hooks, exactly as each stage of the preparation was carried out. A small board of butchers was employed on the show lambs, which were kept together pen by pen throughout. They made a fine display on the hooks, where farmers were able to compare them with first, second and third grade lambs already in the works.

Before the killing of the show lambs was begun, those present were guests of the company at a light luncheon. Mr L. R. C. Macfarlane, president of the Canterbury A. and P. Association, congratulated the Meat Board on arranging the competition, but pointed out that the competition had started in an unfavourable year. It was to be hoped that a better season next year would allow the province a better chance of producing its best. Mr D. Jones, chairman of the Meat Board, on behalf of the board congratulated the company on the arrangements made for handling the competition. The competition, he said, had been instituted with the double purpose of interesting farmers throughout New Zealand in first-class lamb production and at the same time getting farmers to come to the works and see their lambs killed.

Mr John Deans, chairman of directors of the company, said that the company was only too glad to help the Meat Board and the A. and P. Association in any direction which would benefit the farmer. This year the farmer needed every penny he could get, and it was only by the close co-operation of interested organisations that his position could be imp. oved.