FORWARD THE PIG INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 127, 22 February 1941, Page 8

FORWARD THE PIG INDUSTRY

Great Present Value NOTABLE PRODUCTION INCREASE The production of bacon carcases shares with the cheese industry tin honour accorded to these two only of our major farming activities —of being truly essential war industries. Cheese and bacon are indeed a form of munitions. It is therefore of the nature of a rmtriotie duty that farmers ol this Dominion should exert every possible effort for the expansion ol our pig industry; this with, of course, all emphasis upon baconer production.

The greatest production of pigs for expor'- from this country yet recorded was seen through the seasons 193.> to 1937, during which New Zealand killed 1,0 iOr 000 pigs annually, a production of 41,750 tons each season. Valued at the present commandeer price of 7.-lbd. per lb. f.0.b., such a weight of pig-meat would be worth £3 600,000. From the peak then reached production declined 10 per cent, during the two seasons 1937-38 and 1938-39. Last season saw little improvement, which is understandable, as the industry was considerably upset at a critical stage by the outbreak of war and the consequent uncertainty as to pork export. There came last winter a properly drawn-up plan for wartime farming, and with this leadershit. and an assured market for their production, plus', incidentally, a very satisfactory price, farmers set-to with a will to produce more bacon. A wonderful soring following an easy winter gave great, aid to this. With what pleasing results ii was accompanied is now shown by the killings for export up to the end of January, which show more than a 20 per cent, increase over those for lus't season The early January dry spell did threaten to nullify that increase, but the wonderful ruins since experienced have maintained an ample flow of milk, and so rendered it possible to hold the gains made.

We can, and should, however, do better from now on than merely hold our own with last autumn’s production, good though that season was. I’ig-keeping knowledge has’ advanced, there are ample supplies of supplementary foods available, together with knowledge of how to employ them. And surely we have, too, the will to produce what the Empire needs, bacon, rather than that We should take the easy short-cut just to suit our own convenience—to finish off the season with porkers. That was all very well in times of peace, but not today. It rests with ourselves, with each farmer as an individual, to decide what he will do, for Britain will purchase the pork should we so draft our pigs. It. is the Brilon’s way to stick to his bargain, hut. in the circumstances it is not asking too much of a New Zealander's patriotism that he should not enforce his gains under that bargain upon a sorely distressed Homeland.