CONTENTION REFUTED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 165, 27 May 1940, Page 6

CONTENTION REFUTED

GRADING OF BACONER PIGS The contention that the grading of baconers for export had been either completely abandoned or considerably relaxed was refuted today by the Superintendent of the Pig Industry, Mr M. J. Scott, who stated that grading was still being carried out with just as much care as originally. There had been some modification but no relaxation. "Originally there were four weight classes of baconers with a 151b interval between each class covering the range of 121 to 1801b," said Mr Scott. The inclusion of 101 to 1201b pigs in the baconer class necessitated another weight class or a modification of existing ones. For many reasons a modification was adopted and four weight classes with a 201b interval between each was decided on. The standards of fat measured ment were eased by one-eighth of an inch for most loin measurements so as to conform to English requirements, and were made generous for the new weight class 101-120 since excessive fat at. this weight is njot, objectionable, whereas thin light pigs are most undesirable. The pig previously classed as Prime 3 was classed as second quality. Complaints Made. "Grading percentages for all baconers and for different weight ranges are published each month in the Journal of Agriculture. There is a general improvement of about 2 per cent in prime pigs which could quite reasonably be attributed to an improvement in the quality of pigs marketed. "Complaints are also made about the excessive number of chopper pigs and pigs of 161 to 1801b being sent forward. The numbers of these killed each month are also published in the Journal, and the genex*al increase in this class of pig over last year is again only 5 to 6 per cent. When consideration is given to the acute shortage of store last spring, it is rather remarkable that the increase in choppers andj heavy weight pigs is so small. Farmers had no option but to make pigs heavier and by doing so have con- j verted an apparent reduction of 20 per cent in numbers killed, into an actual reduction of only 10 per centj in weight of pigs killed. Continuation of Decline. "On the whole, producers arc to be congratulated on the way in which they have adjusted production ot new circumstances. They have made a real effort to do all that was asked of them at a Mine when a shortage of pigs made that difficult; they have increased the amount of bacon by at least 30 per cent and the really heavy nigs by less than 6 per cent. "Approximately a whole year elapses from the time sows are served till pigs are killed, so that a decline in killings in any month is the result of decisions made, and action taken a year previously. Killings will probably continue to decline up till December of this year but present indications are that an increase will occur after January,