MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Northern Advocate, 19 June 1937, Page 10

MODERN PIG-KEEPING

(By C. E. CUMING). p-:.' - Recording; Scheme. / . >-• 1 ;--c - ■ '■ ’ Everyone interested in the welfare ; -ttpf the Dominion’s pig industry will v agree that the levy of 2d per pig X slaughtered for funds to conduct a scheme of recording and inis a very reasonable one. Many who have,carried out the pioSlheering work of pig recording in this Country express the opinion that the | levy may not prove sufficiently high ;Xto enable a fund to be raised that will fee adequate for the carrying out of 111 the Work contemplated. Certainly ■> _ keen pig keepers will not begrudge 2d X for each’ pig killed. However, it

1 1 seems that it would have been a bet's ter. plan to have made a levy of so much per lb rather than 2d per head, as under the levy proposed it will : mean that the man producing porkers ip will have to pay just as much as the j man producing baconers. However, a IJljitart .has been made and improvethe system can be introduced ter testing stations which is proposed ■ v under, the national scheme, New Zea- ■ land is only following the example -'l' set by Denmark, where litter testing ||Xstations have been mainly responsible f for. the: remarkable progress made: It VI is interesting to note, too, that the pig ||X clubs in Taranaki, similar ones to gif; which will be established under the y t i Dominion scheme, were modelled on |;j Danish pig clubs. f Thfe liritish Market. V At a meeting of the council of the g National Pig Breeders’ Association, ||XthA president commented on the inl . Creasing volume of imported frozen | pork as . a / subject of first, importance |j tb 1 Hoinef pig producers. Whereas in i! 1930-32,'’the quantity import--11; ed had amounted 'to about 350,000 .cwt

per ahhuriij the amount had risen to over 1,000,000 cwt in 1936; and there was 12 per cent, increase over the previous year’s imports. It was true, he added, that much of this supply had been turned into bacon and had accounted for an appreciable proportion of the increase in the home output of bacon. The importance of the fresh pork market to home pig producers was considerable, however, and naturally as, breeders of foundation stock eminently suited to the production of pork as well as bacon, they were very much concerned by any tendency to replace the fresh product by the frozen article. The need for reviewing the situation was stressed by other speakers and a committee of inquiry was appointed.