ANNUAL BACON COMPETITION

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27424, 10 August 1954, Page 12

ANNUAL BACON COMPETITION

NELSON PIG WINS AWARD WEST COAST EXHIBITOR’S SUCCESS carcases from the West Coast and Nelson took the premier awards in the annual bacon competition of the Canterbury District Pig Council held vesierday afternoon at the factory of T. H. Green and Company. Ltd., at Addington. __ For the second year in succession the Zealand Co-operative Pig Marketing Association’s rose bowl was won by J. H. Pitman, of Rotomanu. on the West Coast This trophy is for the pig gaining mat points in the recorded carcase class in which farm and carcase points are taken into consideration. Mr Pitman’s winning pig was a Large White. A disappointing feature of this section was the small number of entries. T. H. Green and Company’s challenge cup for the best baconer carcase went to ?. Tamworth-Berkshire cross cartas, eiby E c. and E. ML Wadsworth (Takaka). This trophy was also won by a Nelson’ exhibitor last year There were 122 entries in the competition this year—Bl from Nelson and « from Canterbury and the West Coastcompared with 137 last year. Sixty-seven of the entries were awarded merit certificates for scoring 70 per cent, or more carcase points. As at many previous competitions reference was made yesterday to the tend- , ency of producers to turn out pigs outside the ideal weight range for bacon-" ud ® e > Mr P. G. Stevens, Baid after the contest that no fewer than 48 per cent, of the entries were outside the weight range. “You can guess from that what the position is likely to be commercially.” said Mr Stevens. After spectators at the competition had inspected the pigs on the hooks, Mr btevens demonstrated judging points to them on selected carcases. He said that this procedure had been followed over a number of years in the hope that those interested in pigs might benefit from seeing what the trade and processors considered to be a carcase that could be ccnverted into something that would sell readily to the consumer as a good product. He believed that considerable progress had been made dowm the years.

Too Much Fat But, said Mr Stevens, they would be shown rolls of bacon notable for the small amount of lean and the preponderance of fat, which had been returned by retailers as unsaleable. “That sort of thing is happening all too commonly, he said.

The most important feature of a pif from a judging point of view in the competition was the point that was worst about the pig business at present. Too many pigs were being marketed outside the ideal weight range, which was from about 1451 b to 1601 b. In this competition a little wider weight range was allowed—--135 to 1601 b—but it was really too wide for a competition of this kind and too wide for the trade. Any pig scoring not less than 80 per cent, in this contest was a good pig. saw Mr Stevens, and processors and retailer* would have no worries if 70 per cent of the pigs they received were of that standard. Placings in the competition were:— Recorded Bacon Carcase.—J. H. Pitman (Rotomanu), 50 farm points. 73 carcase points, carcase weight 1491 b, 1; F. D. Higgins and Son (Springe Grove. Nelson). « farm points, 80 carcase points, carcase weight 1581 b. 2. . Best Baconer—E. C. and E. M. Wadsworth (Takaka), 85 points, carcase weign* 1371 b; I. E. S. Duffield < Belfast). M points, carcase weight 1361 b. 2: R- Newton (Brookside), 82 points, carcase 1331 b. 3. All of the nine entries from MT Duffield won merit awards. Trophies and merit certificates were handed to the winners by the DirectorGeneral of Agriculture. Mr E. J. Fawcett. Mr N. Heath, the secretary of the Nelson Freezing Company, accepted W® cup for the best baconer on behalf <« E. C. and E. M. Wadsworth. Guest sneakers at the ceremony held in tion with the competition were Mr Fawcett and Mr Russell Stalker, of ora. who spent eight months in America two years ago under the Internatio®* 1 Farm Youth Exchange Scheme.