EXPORT OF PORK

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1788, 29 July 1926, Page 6

EXPORT OF PORK

MEAT BOARD’S EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE INDUSTRY. EXPERIMENTAL .farm to be ■STARTED. “No branch of primary production in New Zealand provid.es such scope for (expansion als pig-raising,’’ states ithe annual .report of the New Zealand (Meat Producers’ Board. It iis recognised, that there is an ever-increasing demand for imported pork in Great Britain, as is evidenced by the fact that last year there were 628,297 tons of bacon, ham, pork, and' lard imported into the United Kingdom from all sources, and valued at £66,588,566, made up as follows: — £

“ Of this quantity New Zealand, contribulted 1901 tonis, valued at a sum of £134,913. “ This year we shall probably show a slight increase in our shipments, as, up to 30th June we have killed 49,894 pigs for export, which is equal to 94,'509 601 b freight carcases, an increase over the same period of last year of 14,15'5 pigs, or 18,758 freight carcases. “A comparison of shipments of pork to Great Britain, together with values of same, for the last five years ended 30th September, is as follows: — Cw-ts. £

GREATER INQUIRY FOR NEW ZEALAND PIGS. “ It will be seen from these figures that we are increasing our export of pork, but not to the game extent «!s we should do, with all the many advantages which we have over other countries which export pork to Great Britain, particularly in rejspect to climate and other natural resources. “ To bring under the notice of the bacon curers of Great Britain the good quality of NeW Zealand's pork,. the Board recently distributed gratis a number of bacon pigs among the leading bacon curers. The general opinion expressed was very favourable, and as a result a greater inquiry has been made for our pigs, and, the development of our export of pork will be further expanded once we are able to send forward regular supplies. At the present time, however, it is much to be regretted that would-be buyers are often unable to obtain quotations owing to the small supplies which are available. ' , “In the development of our export of pork suitable for curing we must always keep uniformity in mind. In the bacon trade, like other branches of the meat business, uniformity in production has grown out of standardisation in selling. There should be only one good pig and we must concentrate on the breeding of that particular pig in conformity with the desires of the buyers. Too many breeds, after all, only accentuate differences instead of creating uniformity. “x n order to stimulate the exportation of pork the Board has, since its inception in 1922, endeavoured to reduce the costs in the way of railway charges, shiping freights, etc., and as a result of its efforts in this direction these reductions in costs, calculated on a 120 lbs pig, amount to 12s 8d per headi, which has materially helped in increasing our export of pork. MUST RAISE MORE PIGS. “ The Board has now decided to conduct (experiments in the farming of pigs on a suitable farm possessing all the necessary facilities. These experiments will extend, over a considerable period, and the fullest investigation will be made. In these experiments particular attention will be given to foods that can be u/sed in conjunction with by-products of our dairying industry. “ Although feeding and breeding are of the utmost importance, the basic foundation of a successful export trade ■must be in the correct knowledge of farm management of pigs. Farmers should be educated in a practical manner a s to the most economical way in which sows can be kept and young pigs raised, “At present we have only 440,115 pig/s in New Zealand, and if We are to build up an export trade farmers must raise more pigs. Denmark and the Netherlands exported last year over £26,000,000 worth of bacon and pork, so if ,to-day we exported all the pigs we have at present in New Zealand that would amount to less than onetenth of what Denmark and the Netherlands ex/port each year. “To encourage the export of pork most suitable for the Home trade the Board, has decided to offer prizes in •the pig classes at the royal .shows. When the railway tariffs were altered in July of last year the Board Avas successful in securing a lower rate on live pigs to the extent of 7J per cent a s compared with other live stock.

.Bacon ,... 42239,817 IHams ... 8,543,466 Pork (fresh) ... ... 5,122,123 IPork (frozen) . ... 1,021,585 IPork (salted ... 104,497 Lard ... 9,557,566 £66,588,566

1922 . 12,453 34,759 1923 . 32,284 95,478 1924 6047 15,637 1925 . 38,0128 134,913 1926 (to 31st May) . . 31,048 121,073