PIG INDUSTRY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 59, 26 March 1943, Page 2

PIG INDUSTRY

The serious position of the i)ig industry in North Auckland, as a result of the prolonged dry weather, was again brought, before the Auckland Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union at its monthly meeting on March 17. The secretary (Mr A. E. Robinson) reported having informed the director of Agriculture (Mr Fawoett) that poduetion was threatened seriously by the.'position in North Auckland. Store pigs and weaners were quite unsaleable and one Kaiwaka farmer was faced with th« necessity of killing (50 weaners. It was quite, impracticable under present road and rail conditions to move large numbers of weaners to the Waikato. If the Government required pigs it was essential that the food prices be made economic. A drastic reduction was necessary to

avoid national waste. Mr Fawcett, in replying, stated that the Minister of Agriculture could not see his. way to agree to a pig food subsidy. Barley ay as available and should be used, and organisations should endeavour to move stock to the Waikato. Mr J. W. Jones (Pakaraka) stated that farmers had been asked to produce more pigs, but in North Auckland the animals were in danger of dying, as the result of the drv wea,*her and the high price of pig food. Meal, for instance, cost £11 a ton in the Bav of Islands, -while 'the vield of milk had fallen very seriously. As to sending young pigs away any distance, that could not be done profitably at an age of under three months. On the president's motion it was decided to telegraph to the Department of Agriculture, emphasising the urgency of the position.