Pig Clubs' Section

Northern Advocate, 18 March 1939, Page 5 (Supplement)

Pig Clubs' Section

Specially written by W. A. BEATTIE

WHEN' the pig club movement was first initiated in New Zealand, we were given to understand that it was the system practised in Denmark. Anything coming from Denmark had the seal of satisfaction on it, as the Danes were the leading producers in the world in this industry. To be satisfied to do a thing because someone else does it, is however, a rather blind way of proceeding. The only thing that really distinguishes man from animals is his possession of reasoning powers, and if he just works along the lines of instinct and imitation, he is scarcely doing justice to his superior endow-, ments. Actually there is no pig club movement in Denmark at all, and we were misled in this matter. There is, however, no harm, in fact there is quite a lot of good in our way of reorganising the industry in this way, as it brings together men with common interests, enables free discussion, makes the work more wieldy, and creates a kind of provincial parliament annually wherein matters relating to the industry can be frankly and fully discussed. From the provinces, moreover, delegates go to the meetings in Wellington, and the system of representation in the affairs of the industry is thus placed on a proper footing. One would therefore be loath to scrap a method which is inherently good, and the fact that it does not obtain in Denmark has really no bearing at all on the point. We are always a thoroughly democratic country, no matter what colour the party in power happens to be. It is really almost a part of our nature to be so democratic, and as the system evolved, for which the major credit is due to Mr Sorensen, of Taranaki, suits our method of governing things, it is to be hoped that it will stay. Drawbacks of Our System To say that oqr system is fully effective would be foolish. We all know that it is far from it. Any defects that it may contain are'however(entirely .'internal matters, and are no_ reason at all for doing away with the system. It is inevitable in any new venture that difficulties of an unexpected nature will turn up, new problems, many of them perplexing, will arise, and there will be many headaches for those in control. It makes things all the more interesting that this should be so, and the man who turns tail at the thought of these difficulties should never be connected with any enterprise whatever. Any system, such as this is, that is thoroughly democratic, contains within itself the germs of change that will enable it to be adapted to any changing circumstances, that will make it flexible enough to meet all its own problems, and that will enable it to survive all the storms that must from time to time inevitably break over it. While therefore there may be a case for some drastic alterations in the functioning of the clubs particularly, there is absolutely no case for the abolition of restriction of the movement as a whole. The National Pig Industry Council is one that can be a power for good in the industry as a whole, and in its hands lies the future of a great branch of primary production.

Annual Meeting of District Councils

The annual meeting of district councils is shortly due, and there will be much to discuss. It may not be out of place now to mention one or two matters which might be worthy of discussion. so that they might be considered leisurely in the meantime. It was laid down by the national council on the complaint of the Department of Agriculture, that supervisors, although they are of all people the most in touch with the practical needs of the industry, should not discuss matters of policy. It is hoped that the sug-

Danish Method of Improving the Industry

gestions made in this article cannot therefore be construed as falling within the elusive definition of the word policy, and in case any of them should by some mischance do so, it would be only right to preface them with the statement that neither the district council nor any other body, or this paper, are,identified with these views, and that they are mine alone, and in propounding them I write in a wholly private capacity. Licensing of Breeders The foundation of the success of Danish production is merely the ensuring to the farmer that when he buys stock to breed from, that stock will in effect be guaranteed to be of the right type, and of strains that bear all the necessary hall marks of quality. In this way the purchase of the necessary stock becomes a more or less automatic matter. This must be a great source of relief to the average hard-working farmer. The manner in which it is ensured is that the operations of breeders are supervised by a very high authority and an expert committee, that will not issue certificates of performance to any but the most thoroughly proved stock. The consideration which breeders are given for their submission to this authority is a subsidy, which enables them to make a good living from' their labours, and to purchase fresh blood and do all those hundred and one things that are necessary in maintaining the standrd of a really good stud. There is little doubt at all that if the leading breeders in New Zealand were to be properly approached, they would agree to such a system or to some modification of it. As things are, a great deal of the work of breeding is being taken over by pig clubs, and they are not equipped by finance or by continuity to, for example, import stock, keep on purchasing fresh blood, experiment and so on in the way that a good breeder must. It would be a very big mistake, and one which would have most regrettable consequences, if anything were done to discourage the continued enterprise of our principal pig breeders. There is some danger, also, of members of pig clubs, in increasng numbers, setting up as small breeders without any fixed breeding policy, disposing of pedigree stock at very low figures, and so damaging the leading breeders without any compensatory effects on the industry.

It is difficult to Impress on some people the many hazards of breeding pedigree stock, and most farmers would be very well advised to turn their

attention to the easier and, many times, the more lucrative, work of producing commercial carcases. In view of the present position, it would probably be very wise for the suggestion as to the licensing of breeders to come from the breeders themselves, as"in doing so they would not only be performing a valuable service to the 1 community, but would also be, in the upshot, protecting themselves against the possible results of a multiplicity of small, unfinancial and inexperienced breeders. The production of the right type stock by experienced breeders, acting under that supervision that would ensure for them a guarantee of their stock, seems to me to be -?.s essential a part of the true foundation of the industry as anything else that could be conceived. Without such foundations, it is difficult to see but that progress will be seriously retarded. Feeding Having put the breeding side of the industry on a proper footing, it is nejit essential to evolve the most simple and straightforward feeding formula for the average farmer to follow. Farmers are too busy with their routine work to do much experimenting. They have neither the time, the inclination, the finance nor the conditions generally to do experimental work. The right type of stock should be ensured them, and complete and simple feeding directions supplied. There must, of course, be small feeding variations to cover the individuality of animals, but the farmer will understand this. He should be further advised, as definitely as possible, whether he can economically raise porkers or

Housing

baccners or both in any particular locality and under his conditions. Whether he can profitably winter or not is another matter on which he should be able to get definite advice.

As far as possible, and allowing for minor variations to suit special conditions, it should be possible to advise every farmer as to the most economical and effective housing units that are adapted to Iris use. The general layout cf the piggery should also be the subject of definite advice. In this matter of housing and laying out piggeries, supervisors are generally competent to advise correctly, and while they know much of the other problems confronting farmers, there is still work to be done before the most economical and effective feeding

programme is set out. Whatever is done in the matter of feeding and housing can be rendered largely ineffective however unless the type of pig is standardised and a source of' breeding stock created on licensed and properly subsidised and supervised stud farms. Boars

Many clubs would do better if, instead of buying breeding sows, they bought high-class boars for use of the members. This would save a good deal of expense and worry, would give supervisors more time to attend to the needs cf the individual members, and would quickly and effectively grade up herds and in a very short time raise the grade of carcases. These and many other problems are very pressing, and will doubtless be considered when the district council meets shortly. That council bears a big responsibility as far as the industry is concerned, and its deliberations are entitled to the greatest weight The last annual meeting was one of the most interesting meetings that many farmers remember, and this comings one should be equally so. 1 ' ■