NOT TOO HEAVY

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8839, 2 November 1942, Page 1

NOT TOO HEAVY

WEIGHT OF BACONERS

WARNING TO THE GROWER

MODERATE WEIGHTS URGED

Interviewed by a. representative of the Gazette on this development, Mr W. A. Phillips, chairman of directors of the New Zealand Co-opera-tive Pig Marketing Association, Limited, stated inter alia: —

“Owing to the reversion to butterfat. from cheese and the consequent substantial increased demand for store pigs and brood sows, the Government sought to ease the position of producers by reverting for the current season to a top weight for baconcrs of 1801 b hooks weight. Two years ago when this was the practice, producers showed a strong tendency to aim at this top weight in the out-turn of their baconcrs, and as a result produced* a substantial quantity of overweights on which they were inevitably heavily penalised. During that season such penalties aggregated the huge loss of £75,000 to the industry.

“In the. present circumstances, it is therefore desirable to caution producers against a repetition of this loss, to which the only practical corrective is to aim at a top weight of IGOlb and thus ensure'a safe margin of error in the weight out-turn of their baconcrs. “Producers’ future bacon markets,’’ concluded Air Phillips, “will be best safeguarded by the future organisation of production to turn off more pigs of moderate weight rather than fewer pigs of higher weights.’’