PREMIUM ON MEAT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 203, 28 July 1937, Page 8

PREMIUM ON MEAT

NEW ZEALAND FAVOURED. A HIGH REPUTATION. , The district fat lamb competition inaugurated by the board with the object of improving the quality of export lambs has proved to be of great educative value to farmers, and serves as an excellent medium for advertising our lambs when displayed on the stall in Smithfield, states the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board in its annual report. The large gatherings of farmers at the freezing works where the lambs are treated prior to being shipped Home demonstrate the interest which is now being taken in this competition throughout the Dominion. The board would again take the opportunity of referring to the most useful work the agricultural and pastoral associations and freezing companies are doing in arranging these field days in connection with the competition, and generally co-operating with the board in handling all details. In addition to tfie district fat lamb competition, the board offers substantial prizes at the annual Royal Show with a view tq-en-couraging further improvement in the quality of our fat stock. Last year the Imperial Economic Committee at Home issued a very important mutton and lamb survey, being a summary of production and trade in the Empire and foreign countries. The following extract, taken from this report, is or particular interest to every New Zealand sheepfarmer: “New Zealand products obtain in the United Kingdom a premium over those of other mutton and lamb exporting countries due to the fact that her sheep conform closely to the popular English mutton breeds, to the strict grading, and to the reputation which her mutton and lamb enjoy.” Every endeavour must be mad© by farmers of this Dominion to see that this premium is maintained or increased, especially as other countries are gradually improving their quality. Under such conditions of increasing competition in respect of quality our relative superiority would tend to disappear unless further efforts are made. New Zealand can ill afford to lose sight of the fact that her reputation has been built and maintained on quality, and it cannot be stressed too much that we must maintain that quality at all costs, and thereby hold our supremacy in the mutton and lamb trade of the world. The more prime quality meat we can ship, the greater will be the permanent asset we shall thereby create in the enhanced reputation of the Dominion’s meat.

This year th e North Island Silver Challenge Shield in the board’s district lamb competition was awarded to Manawatu, Wairnrapa district being placed second, Wanganui third, and Wairoa fourth. The South Island Shield w r as won by Eastern Southland, with North Otago second, Southland third, and South Canterbury fourth. The individual prize winners for the best pens in the North Island were as follow:

Ist prize (£ls) —Manawatu, Pen No. 404—d1.D. Collis, Kairanga. 2nd prize (£lO) —Manawatu, Pen No. 393—A. McDonald, Ashhurst. 3rd prize (£5) —Taranaki, Pen No. 258—Dickie Bros., Waver ley. The judges also highly commended Pen No. 319 (P. F. Craner, Wairoa) from the Wairoa District.