TWOPENNY PIG LEVY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19315, 4 May 1937, Page 10

TWOPENNY PIG LEVY

UNIFORMITY IN EXPORTS

POLICY TO BE DECIDED

THE MINISTER'S REVIEW

THE levy of iM fin nil pigs slaughter e'd to provide an instructional an, advisory service is expected to pro duc.e a. uniform quality for exports .-■ that .the buyer at Smithfield will Ik able to select his supplies with con fidonce.

This was pointed out by tin Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W Lee Martin, when giving .his reasons tor the imposition of the lev) - . He added that the complete policy had yet to be determined.

'.'Producers have been asking foi definite action for a number o'> years," said the Minister, ''and as tip requests have become more outspoken, so an attempt is to be made to meet them.

"Towards the end of last year, 1. response to urgent and repeated re quests from the Pig Breeders' Association and others interested, a system oi litter testing was inaugurated. For a charge of five shillings a litter of any registered purebred sow by any purebred Hoar is weighed at litree and at eight weeks and recorded in any part of New Zealand by, an officer of the Livestock division of the Department of Agriculture. By this means it should be possible to find thrifty and prolific, strains of breeding stock and by their use establish a §olid foundation of pig improvement. , ''During the month just passed a meeting of those interested in grading has b,een. held and a committee has been olected that will recommend regulations and standards to enable grading to lie carried out." the Minister continued. Housing and .Sanitation.

"It is hoped that a system will be introduced which will recompense those producers who are trying; to improve the standard .of our pig meats. It is hoped also that grading by establishing uniformity in our lines of pigs displayed on tlie London markets will gradually attract the man who buys with confidence, not the man who lias to inspect every carcase lest lie gets a bad one ,and who makes (he New Zealand producer pay for the time spent in such inspections.

"Even when the best pigs are being used and paid for on a quality- basis, there still remain the questions of bousing: and sanitation and the question of the. efficient utilisation of fee.ds. Improvement in both these sections by eliminating wastage could, it is hoped, make pigs profitable on many farms, where they are now no cause for pride or profit. "Those interested have for a long time insisted that this improvement could best be achieved by an instructional service similar to that in operation in the Waikato and Manawatu. The Pig Breeders' Association and recording clubs asked the farmers' unions of the Dominion for their approval of the imposition of a levy for this purpose and received unanimous assent.

"As a result of this approval, combined with renewed requests to the Minister, the Cabinet has finally approved of a levy of 2d a pig, which will be collected through the slaughtering organisation as an addition to the inspection fee. This levy should yield approximately £BOOO per annum. Testing Stations.

"The Department of Agriculture will consult all those interested in pig production and determine the policy," said the Minister. "The present inclination of the department is to establish testing stations, each one based on 20 to 40 pig clubs, similar to those in operation in Tnranaki. "These testing stations would conduct feeding trials of pedigree pigs from tested litters with the object of finding out the suitability of the carcase and their efficiency of feed utilisation. Certificates of quality, growth rate and food consumption could then lie issued. Tins service seems to complete the litter weighing already in operation and to provide the information necessary for the. establishment of licensed breeding stations.

"It. is expected that a central council will be elected by district organisations, the central council to have ah pxeeutivb which will cooperate, with, tiio, Department of Agriculture and will be responsible for the allocation of funds to district organisations. , ,„ .... ,

. "It is hoped that this method, will en courage, farmers themselves, to take a lively interest in the expenditure of the money which they are providing, while, the department will act in a co-ordinating and..advLsoiy,capaeity.''