INSPECTION OF PIGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15578, 7 October 1912, Page 7

INSPECTION OF PIGS.

DIFFICULTY OF IDENTIFICATION

(Fnojt Our Own ComiEsroNDENT.)

AUCKLAND, October 4,

Tho hacon ciircrs in the Auckland province liavo notified pig farmers that from now on they will purchase pigs subject to uovtrnment inspection only. Thb> is in accordance with tho provisions of the Slaughtering and Inspection Act, which also provides for compensation bciiia paid for any animals condemned by the inspector.' I'igs for human consumption havo been subject for inspection for some conBiderablo time past, but it is .stated that thero has ken a difficulty in tracing tho owpais of condemned stock.

Discussing tho matter, Mr A. Schmidt, secretary of tho Farmer.;' Union, said it was obvious that in a mob of pigs it wso difficult to ray who owned a parrifnil.iT animal. Ear-marking had been tried, but owing to the quarrelsome naturo of pigs, which chewed each others' cars fo as to render the marks unrecognisable, this was found impracticable, llranding was out of tho question, and paint, owing to the ' oilv'' skin, spread so that it was useless. He suggested as a remedy that Btrong metal taga attached to the pigs' noses with an ordinary pig ring would polvo tho difficulty and prevent the "averaeing" of tho condemned stock, as had boon tho case with certain factories.