Woman’s Success In Bacon Contest

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30487, 8 July 1964, Page 20

Woman’s Success In Bacon Contest

One of the most successful competitors in the Canterbury-West Coast bacon competition .held at the Belfast freezing works, of *Jhe Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, Ltd. yesterday-was Mrs R. S. Bassett, of Burnt Hill, Oxford, who took up pig breeding and raising as an interest 18 months to two years ago. Mrs Bassett, who breeds from two Landrace sows which are crossed with Landrace boars and rears the litters, won one of the. three cups.for competition, tied for another cup, and was runner-up for the third.

She won the Peerless Weaner Grower Cup for the heaviest litter at eight weeks with a litter of 11 weaned at that stage at a weight of 6681 b. She tied .with E. A. Bennett, of Oh'oka, for the Pig Marketing Association Rose Bowl, judged on prolificacy, growth rate, and carcase quality, and was runner-up to Miller Bros. (Motukarara) for. Green’s Challenge Cu]f for the best baconer carcase.' Other women also attended the competition and Mr N. A. Barnett, chairman of the South Island Pig Council, said that from his experience in attending a number of competitions each year it seemed that each year more women were taking an interest in Pigs. Judging System An innovation this year was the introduction of the New Zealand Pig Producers' Council’s approved system for judging cured bacon. The carcases of the pigs entered for the- competition were judged first, and a side was then taken from the 10 highest-placed carcases. After curing these were judged again for meat value, this being assessed both by measurement and eye appraisal. Entries were slightly lower this year at 100 pigs, compared with 118 a year ago. Pigs came from the West Coast, Canterbury and Kaikoura.

Commenting on the improved type of pig now coming forward, Mr J. Graham, advisory officer to the South Island Pig Council, said that the growth rate of the young animal had improved by at least 50 per cent over the last five years. Farmers were now breeding better stock, and with housing and management also most noticeably better a desirable carcase for the trade was being produced. When these were cut it was found that on average there was a high proportion of meat to fat.

Judging with Mr Graham were Messrs E. Bell, a supervising meat grader of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board, and R. S. Raines, senior meat inspector of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch. Meaty Carcase

Presenting the Pig Marketing Association Rose Bowl, Mr H. W. Montgomerie, pro-vincial-supervisor for the association, said that while they were looking for a carcase with a small fat content, they were still seeking one that was meaty, which was not the same as a thin carcase. In the production of the desirable carcase, he said, feeding and management were important, and hand in hand with feeding went breeding. There were strains

of pigs that would consistently throw a meaty carcase if the feeding was right. “I want to congratulate you on the excellent quality of the entries here,” said Mr Montgomerie. Mr Barnett said that pig producers would like stable prices. • New Zealand was now shipping about 10 per cent of its production. New Zealanders were eating an average of 331 b of pig meat and if that could be raised by another 31b or 41b there would be no surplus and there would not be the fluctuations in the schedule. Where the exporter had a surplus he reduced the price. Overseas prices were not as good as local prices .for pig meats. Because of an interruption in air services from Hamilton, Mr D. Joblin, of the Ruakura agricultural research centre, who was to have been the guest speaker, .was unable to reach Christchurch for the competition.

Results of the competition were:

•Pig Marketing Association Rose Bowl.—Mrs Bassett and E. A. Bennett, 132 points (equal) 1; Mrs Bassett, 127, 2; T. Williamson, 125, 3; Hurford and Blyth. 124, 4.

Green’s Challenge Cup.—Miller Bros., 93 points, 1; Mrs Bassett, 91, 2: Brown Bros., 89, 3; E. J. Banks and E. A. Bennett, 87 (equal), 4. Peerless Weaner Grower Cup, —Mrs Bassett <ll weaned at 668 lb at eight weeks), 1; T. Williamson (13 weaned at 5611 b) 2; H. Hurford and Son (13 weaned at 4711 b), 3; J. N. Blyth. (nine weaned at 4561 b), 4.