FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY

Western Star, 5 February 1924, Page 2

FROZEN MEAT INDUSTRY

IN SOUTH AMERICA. [ . By the last mail the New Zealand ’ Meat Producers’ Board received some interesting information, relating to the Frozen Meat Industry in South America. The Board's representative at Buenos Aires wrote as follows under date 15th November, 1923: — ■ • r “Yon are already aware of the ; stoppage in the slaughter of export beef catfle, caused by the application- t of the minimum price law, ' tho enforcement of which 1 has been delayed’ for 180 days. Killing has again been, resumed, and many lots of choice ' , steers slaughtered for the Christmas , trade. The freezers have so far maintained prices; but a big drop is inevitable owing *to the large available supply at this season of the year. The quantity of dressed beef in the chanihers, ancl the animals purchased before ■ the Act came into force enabled |be > Companies to fill up their shipping,. space, with the exception of odd lots for the Continent. The Freezing Companies’ business offices hjtve lately been thronged with owners of fat cattle desirous of selling their animals before the fall in. prices. , , Sheep. —There has been a large offering of all classes,of sheep, and 1 , values are slightly lower. , There has been considerable entries pf good : < lambfi around 32 pounds, in more level and fatter lots than are generally Marketed here. There is no moans of getting reliable information regarding the possible killings on the South Coast (called Pategoaia in the) trade), only there has been an exceptionally severe winter, with very heavy falls of show, which will cause sheep to be thin in the spring, while there are only natural grasses available in that part of this' Republic,' where the •killing season starts in January and finishes about the middle of April. ’ I anx inclined to consider that, numbers of the Pategonian- sheep have' bepiw brought to the province of’ v Buenos Aires, owing to the high prices ruling for sheep here.

A Co-operative Society has commenced to build a plant at Deseado (Santa Cruz), with a capacity ter ' handle 5000 store sheep a day, i and store 200,000 carcases.”