BACON PIGS FOR EXPORT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22318, 4 February 1938, Page 14

BACON PIGS FOR EXPORT

GRADING SYSTEM ANNOUNCED MOVE TO IMPROVE QUALITY MEETING COMPETITION ON BRITISH MARKET irXESS ASSOCIATION TKLIGEAM.) WELLINGTON, February 3. Regulations governing the grading of baconer pigs are published in the Gazette this evening, and come into force to-morrow. The object of the regulations, which have been prepared by the Department of Agriculture, is to improve the quality of export bacon, which has now reached formidable proportions, and to meet the wishes of curers in the United Kingdom. In commenting on the regulations the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Lee Martin) said the marked increase in the quality of bacon« exported made it essential that grading standards should be fixed if New Zealand bacon was to acquire a reputation on the British market in competition with products of other countries. The quality of bacon from other countries had improved in recent years, and New Zealand could not afford to lag behind. It was easier to live up to a good reputation, made in the early stages of the trade, than to live down a bad one.

"The standards we have adopted are those now in force in Canada, and are based on the thickness of the back fat over the shoulder and over the loin," said the Minister. "These standards are accepted by English curers, and as a result exporters will be able to pay producers in New Zealand the whole of the premiums expected for quality pigs on the English market. They have, in fact, already announced a premium of 3d for No. 1 prime grade over No. 2, with a similar premium between No. 2 and No. 3. This 4s to 5s a carcase should prove a most valuable incentive to those who are anxious to improve their pigs. Uniform Standard "Grading will be performed by the works grader, as is now being done with lambs; but the measurements of g. atied pigs will be checked each day <n all works by an officer of the Department of Agriculture, a senior meat inspector. Supervising graders employed by the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board will see that a uniform standard is adopted at all works. These two official services, combined with an open invitation from all freezing works for producers to come to see their pigs graded, should be sufficient to establish confidence in thp grading in the minds of all producers. "In the standards adopted, length has not been taken into consideration; but from the measurements of approximately 70,000 pigs, supplied by the trade during October, November and December, there is ample evidence to confirm the already wellestablished fact that when pigs are selected for their back fat, an automatic selection of long pigs is made. Figures collected by the department show that a reduction of Jin in back fat means an increase of 2 inches in length. Curers are more concerned with back fat than length. Farmers themselves can see the length, and our investigations have shown that if selections are made for this visible attribute, there is every indication that we will produce the lean pig now demanded by consumers, and supplied by our competitors."