FOR BETTER PIGS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 November 1934, Page 5

FOR BETTER PIGS

C.O.P. SCHEME INSTITUTED

ACTION BY RECORDING CLUB

Following advice from the AssistantDirector of Agriculture, Mr A. H. Cockayne, that the Department of Agriculture would not this year undertake a national scheme for the granting of certificates of performance for pedigree sows, the Manawatu-Oroua Pig Recording Club, last evening, decided to proceed with a scheme mould.ed along the linos of that suggested by the department. It was agreed that the scheme be undertaken immediately and that it be carried on not as ail experiment, but that it bo permanently established. It was explained that any recording work carried oat so far in anticipation of the scheme being undertaken by the club would count. Those present were Professor W. Riddet (chairman), Messrs P. T. Jamieson, E. Eglipton, P. G. Stevens, E. P. Nielsen, N. P. Nielsen, C. P. McMeehan, H. E. Thurston, B. E. Keiller, W. J. Croucher and L. Lovelock.

The letter from Mr Cockayne was as follows: “As you are aware there have been numerous meetings with the Pig Recording Club and with the pig recording officer, and regulations with regard to the carrying out of the scheme have been framed. I am, however, very averse to any actual launching of the scheme on a Dominion basis at the present time, but would much prefer to see, for this season, the carrying out of what may be termed exploratory work by the Manawatu Pig Recording Club, working approximately on the lines that have been discussed with me. I feel very strongly that before this C.O.P. work is entered into on a wide basis, where it would have to be carried out by officers of the department, a really good trial of it should bo made by the club that virtually originated the idea and lias as its recording officer a man who is well suited to carry out the work and during the carrying of it out would be able to adopt modifications, where necessary, to make it really practicable. I, therefore, would suggest that for this season the work be restricted to the Recording Club. . . . Again would I like to make the point that C.O.P. work as outlined by the club contains a number of interesting features and one feels that these should be put under trial by an organisation that is at the present time capable or carrying them out on an experimental basis. For that reason I say the best action to take is for this season to restrict the work to the ManawatuOroua Club, or at least, at any rate until that chib has brought some of its bacon pigs to bacon weights. So far as the regulations that have been discussed are concerned, I have the feeling that many of them are likely to require considerable modification — modification that can only reasonably and rapidly come about by the work in its initial stages being done entirely by recording officers. As there is only one recording club in operation at present it looks very obvious that the C.O.P. work should be developed by the Manawatu-Oroua Club, and as soon as it has carried out the work to the point that it is clear that it can easily and practically be put on a Dom-

inion-wide basis, then it would appear sound, for the department t-o undertake it in districts where there are no pig recording clubs.” Mr Crouclier said Mr Cockayne had stated that the department had definitely decided that the scheme should be instituted, and that it was essential that it be put into operation as soon as possible. The chairman did not think that much could bo done. The position was that the department could not take the scheme up. It looked as if the best that could be done was just to leave it to the club. Mr N. P. Nielsen said that Mr Cockayne had indicated that he wanted to go on. He was' very enthusiastic about it then. The chairman: And still is. There are matters that we know nothing about, and I do not think that we should altogether blame Mr Cockayne. The chairman then read a communication which had previously been received from Mr Cockayne, the draft dealing in detail with the proposed C.O.P. system. The letter dealt with the conditions required for qualification purposes, ana touched upon the subjects of measurements of the dead pigs which were the progeny of the pig under observation, besides outlining many phases of the qualifications. The chairman asked if the standards in the draft would be accepted. Mr N. P. Nielsen thought the matter should now he left to the club. On the motion of Mr Iveiller, seconded by Mr E. P. Nielsen, it was decided that the scheme be proceeded

with and certificates issued by the club. , .

In reply to a question, the chairman said he thought that a certificate granted by the club would be just as good as one granted by the department.

Mr McMeekan expressed the opinion that there might be some diffidence among pig breeders as to coming under the scheme at the beginning, before the Government took it up. The chairman said that the standard should be kept high, and the value of the certificates rested with the club. Mr Jamieson said they should ask the department to endorse all the certificates if the scheme were taken over by the department later. That would not be fair to other breeders in other districts in New Zealand, said the chairman. If the State would not carry out the work, the club would do it and the certificates would be issued. They should be of the same value as the Government certificates.

Mr Stevens said that if the Government and the club each issued certificates on the same basis, they should be of equal value. The chairman said he did not think there would be any difficulty in having the club certificates endorsed by the department. Following a suggestion by Mr Eglinton, it was decided, on the motion of the chairman, that the scheme be applied only to pedigree pigs.

The meeting agreed with a suggestion by Mr Keiller that breeders be advised that the scheme was in no

way a 6hort-term experiment, with the club, but that it was to be continued. Several aspects of the rules for the scheme were discussed by the meeting, a number minor amendments being made while all sections were dealt with in detail.