An official yearbook showed NZ's mutton and lamb dominated the United Kingdom market. Photo / Mike Scott
Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day. In this week’s Pastures Past, she’s found newspaper articles on New Zealand’s frozen meat trade.
February 15 is National Lamb Day, and this year marks 144 years since frozen lamb left New Zealand’s shores bound for the United Kingdom.
In 1882, New Zealand’s first successful shipment of frozen meat departed with about 5000 carcasses onboard the ship Dunedin, bound for Britain.
Most of the first cargo originated from Brydone’s slaughterhouse at Totara Estate, near Oamaru.
When the Dunedin arrived in London in late May, over three months later, only one carcass had to be condemned.
As a result, the cargo’s superiority over Australian shipments was mentioned.
This had a huge impact on the colony, paving the way for the trade in frozen meat and dairy products that became the cornerstone of New Zealand’s 20th-century economy.
Below is a selection of historical stories from the New Zealand Herald (1928), the Bay of Plenty Times (1932), and the Te Awamutu Courier (1939).
Increase of exports.
Another record in lamb.
Expanding American market.
[By Telegraph–own correspondent]
Wellington. Tuesday.
New Zealand Herald, October 17, 1928
Much interest attaches to the latest statistical returns issued by the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, which cover the 12 months of the 1927-28 season to September 30.
The development in the frozen lamb trade is strikingly revealed by an increase of over 500,000 carcases during the season compared with the previous 12 months
Nearly 6,000,000 carcases of lamb left New Zealand during the 12 months ending September 30, thus establishing another record.
The exports of lamb were nearly three times those of mutton, which totalled over 2,000,000 carcases.
Another remarkable feature of the year’s operations was that the exports of beef were more than double those of the previous season.
The growth of the pork trade is shown by the fact that the exports were half as large again last season as those of the 1926-27 season.
The totals of the season’s exports of frozen meat for last season are as follows, those for the previous season being given in parentheses: —Beef, 387,498 qrs (188,397); mutton, 2,040,378 carcases (2,108,5971; lamb, 5,968,892 carcases (5,386,912); pork, 128,353 carcases (83,998).
London again received the bulk of the Dominion’s meat exports, but there were large increases in the direct shipments to the ports on the West Coast of the United Kingdom of lamb and beef, while Southampton and Hull also received largely increased shipments.
An interesting feature is the growth of the trade in lamb and beef with New York, which took much larger shipments during the season just ended.
Canada also increased its supplies of beef and mutton.
Cristobal, in the Panama Canal Zone, figures for the first time.
As in the exports of beef, the killings of stock for export at all works during the season.
October 1, 1927, to September 30, 1928, show considerable increases in all classes except mutton, compared with those of the previous 12 months as follows :
North Island. Beef (quarters;, 1927-28, 393,803; 1923-27, 181,454; wether mutton (carcases), 1,035,535 (1,154,383, ewe mutton (carcases) 544,480 (571,304); lamb, (carcases), 2,869,004 (2,499,254); pork (porker carcases) 114,614, (51,933); pork (baconer carcases), 28,196 (32,893); boneless beet (freight carcases) 249,645 (198,950); sundries (freight caicasos), 99,521 (56,326).
Soytli Island.—Beef (quarters), 1927-28, 928; 1926-27, 2906; wether mutton (carcases), 128,704 (144.,15); ewe mutton (carcases), 296,614 (229,457); lamb (carcases), 3,078,193 (2,882,943); pork (porker carcases), 3937 (90); pork (baconer carcases), 851 (471); sundries (freight carcases), 25,679 (14,052).
The Dominion totals were:—Beef (quarters), 1927-28, 394,821; 1926-27, 184,360; wether mutton (carcases), 1,164,239 (1,298,508) ewe mutton (carcases), 841,094 (800,761); lamb (carcases), 5,947,197 (5,382,197); pork (porker carcases), 118,551 (52,023); pork (baconer carcases), 29,050 (33,364); boneless beef (freight carcases), 283,749 (246,067); sundries (freight carcases), 125,200 (70,378).
The stocks of frozen meat on hand in cool stores in New Zealand, as at September 30. afford the following comparison:—Beef (quarters), September 30, 1928, 11,125, September 30, 1927, 7894; wether mutton (carcases), 41,619 (50,480); ewe mutton (carcases), 79,052 (61,760): lamb (carcases), 99,082 (49,148); pork (porker carcases) 13,633 (1632); pork (baconer carcases), 6034 (1649); boneless beef (freight carcases), 16,612 (14,191); sundries (freight carcases), 54,598 (11.298).
The shipments of frozen meat loaded into steamers that had not departed from New Zealand at September 30 were as follows:—Beef (quarters), September 30, 1928, nil; September 30, 1927, 580; wether mutton (carcases), 2221 (33,176); ewe mutton (carcases), 1937, 26,106); lamb carcases), 24,484 (95,670).
Good Bargain for New Zealand.
The Ottawa Agreement.
Auckland, Sept. 13.
Bay of Plenty Times, September 13, 1932
Contrary to the impression created by cable messages from Ottawa at the conclusion of the conference, the agreement regarding meat imports into Britain does not involve any limitation on exports of frozen mutton and lamb from New Zealand.
The official summary of the agreement with Great Britain contains no reference to the limitation of exports, and a statement from Mr Coates after the conference makes it clear that none has been imposed.
A cable message published on August 22 stated:–“The Commonwealth Government agrees to limit the export of frozen mutton and lamb to the United Kingdom for the year 1933 to an amount equivalent to the total imports from Australia during the year ended June 30, 1932.”
After giving other details of the undertaking, the message ended: “New Zealand’s meat agreement is identical with Australia’s,” leaving the very definite implication that the Dominion had agreed also that the exports of mutton and lamb in 1933 would be no greater than those during the year ended June 30, 1932.
The text of the New Zealand agreement with the United Kingdom contains the following clause:–“In regard to frozen mutton, lamb and beef, the understanding between the Governments concerned is set out in the letter dated August 19, 1932, addressed by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates to the Rt. Hon. Stanley Baldwin.”
The United Kingdom Government agrees to reduce the imports from foreign countries in frozen mutton and lamb and frozen beef.
No reduction is called for in the exports from New Zealand.
Te Awamutu Courier, March 8, 1939
The Official Yearbook for 1939 gives statistical information bearing on exports of frozen mutton and lamb to the United Kingdom.
It shows that New Zealand’s exports to the Homeland represent 57.5 per cent of the total of 1,344,000 cwt of mutton and 51.7 per cent of the total of 5,304,000 cwt of frozen lamb.
These figures were for the year 1937.
Australia comes second in the list of exporting countries with 27.1 per cent of frozen mutton and 27.8 per cent of frozen lamb.
Argentina is third on the list with 7.4 per cent of frozen mutton and 14.7 per cent of frozen lamb.
The above figures strikingly illustrate the dominant position held by New Zealand mutton and lamb on the United Kingdom market.
- Source: Papers Past