N.Z. FARMERS’ UNION.

Putaruru Press, Volume XI, Issue 252, 18 May 1933, Page 6

N.Z. FARMERS’ UNION.

MORRINSVILLE BRANCH, The Morrinsville branch of the Farmers’ Union held its May meeting on Saturday evening. Mr. R. A. S. Browne presided. Lecture on Pigs. There was a record attendance of over 60 to hear a lecture on the raising of pigs, given by Mr. Pierson, the pig-recording officer of the Waikato Pig-recording Club. After, speaking for two hours Mr. Pierson answered questions for another hour, and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, several- speakers saying the lecture was one of the most instructive and interesting they had ever 1 heard. Marketing of Pigs. } The marketing of pigs was ex- \ plained by Mr. N. W. Hastings, a. 1 member of the branch, and organiser Ifor the New Zealand Pig-marketing Association.

Mr.’ Hastings said it would be no use increasing the number of pigs, produced in the manner so ably described by Mr. Pierson unless there was a market to receive them. In 1927, when the Pig-marketing Association was formed in Waikato, there was no export trade in pig meat to Britain, and the supply was so much in excess of the demand to meet the requirements of the New Zealand market that there was stated to be a year’s supply of carcases in the cool stores. To get over this problem the Pig-marketing Association commenced to export porkers to England, and this relieved the pressure on the local market. As a result prices for porkers had been doubled for a time, and instead of porker prices being a halfpenny per pound below baconer prices they had risen to from a halfpenny to two pence per pound above baconer prices. The recent upward trend in values’ for baconers was attributed by Mr. Hastings to the fact that bacon companies were now waking up to the fact that fewer pigs were being carried on from the porker to the baconer stage, because porkers gave better returns. There was now a shortage of baconers, and consequently bacon curers had to offer higher prices in order to get supplies. Mr. Hastings said farmers, owed a debt of gratitude to the Pigmarketing Association for bringing about this state of affairs.

Explaining why the Pig-marketing Association had decided to enter the bobby calf trade this year, Mr, Hastings said it was hoped in this way to find work in the off season for the association’s agents and so encourage them to stay with the association. It would also reduce overhead expenses.