PIG BREEDING

Waipa Post, Volume 39, Issue 3087, 10 December 1929, Page 2

PIG BREEDING

WITHIN THE EMPIRE.

Advantage of standardised production:— The twelfth report of the Imperial Economic Committee, just issued, deals with Pigs and Pig Products. It emphasises the great hold obtained on the main bacon market in the United Kingdom by foreign competitors who have concentrated on the production of standardised type of pig and organised the trade in bacon a national basid. Taste In P ] g’ products varies in different parts of Great Britain, but the report Stated that:—

“ A general change is in progress in the prevailing taste ” . . .“ A liking for smaller and leaner cuts in ’ace of fat heavy joints was becom- ' apparent in England in the latilf of the last century. The lean c bacon and ham, and the small pork, are now firmly estabas the predominant Squirehroughout * south of Engine Midlands the demand is .vhat fatter product, and for pork pies and “ processed " ' ilst further north still fat•,s find a ready market.” of these local differences, .preference for the lean on is growing. . Danish ad bacon factories have con- - cdntlatca £ n supplying this type. Ninety years ‘ago Great Britain was an exporter of pig meat, but to-day is dependent on imports for two-thirds of its supply. Nearly half the total imports, which altogether are valued at £55,000,000 a year, consist of bacon v from Denmark, in which practically only one type of pig, evolved largely from the large White Yorkshire strain, is maintained. Payments are based on weight and quality grades and all exports are subject to constant and strict inspection. The vast majority of pigs give dead-weight carcases between 132 and 158 lbs, lower prices being paid for carcases outside this narrow range. Bacon so produced is marked in England as “ Danish ” and not under factory brands. It is all of the mild cured type and a very regular supply is maintained. ~ The Empire overseas:— At present the whole of the overseas Empire contributes less than one-seventh of the total imports of pig products into the United Kingdom. Canada and the Irish Free State are the chief suppliers. Since the war New Zealand has been developing a very useful trade in frozen pork, both for sale as pork and for curing into bacon. The consumption of pig products in the United Kingdom, though below those of Canada and the United States, has increased since the war by about 50 per cent, in weight and 100 per cent, in value, due almost wholly to larger imports of lard, bacon and frozen pork. Foreign countries have received almost the whole benefit of this expansion. Condition and competition:— The report emphasises the necessity for meeting consumers’ tastes and of maintaining a regular supply. It contains a statement by representatives of both the bacon and pork trades of the characters to which the products should conform to meet the main market and of the breeds which yield carcases of the requisite types. The report pointk out the great possibilities which exist within the Empire. It expresses the definite opinion that these possibilities are unlikely to be realised without organisation amongst the producers and the adoption by them and the curing industry of a joint

common policy. Research: The report advocates that entry into the herd books should be dependent upon commercial performance and not only on show points. It advocates further research, into the problems of nutrition generally, but states that “from the point of view of the substitution of Empire products for those of foreign countries, perhaps the most fruitful line of research lies in the effort to make possible the carriage, without detriment, of mild cured bacon from the southern Dominions.” Preliminary experiments conducted at Cambridge on the freezing and cold storage of bacon are full of promise. They indicate that with certain modifications of present practice the problems of transport of mild cured bacon from the •southern Dominions should be possible. The report strongly -advocates | that tKosb experiments shouia be tinued and with a view-oi l testing their results iff pommercjjLl practice. comparatively

trade. The portions of the Empire in which possibilities at present are most promising are : the Irish Free State, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Conclusion:— The report emphasises that regularity of supply is essential for steady trade. “ The idea that the top of the market can easily be caught by an ‘ in-and-out ’ policy is an illustion.” The committee envisaged “ a great problem—nothing less than the replacement of the foreigner by the Empire farmer in the main supply of the standard article to British market.” For this standards of size and quality, adequate quantity, regular supply and competitive prices are essential. “ The general effect of our re*T ort inay be med up in the words—J^ e mobilisation of the producer.” The btl ne^^s the small farmer of a successful industry are so obvious as to justify, in our opinion, a great co-operative effort involving the farmers and traders of the Empire and, indeed, the Governments.