PIG INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 14

PIG INDUSTRY

lEETHODS OF DENMARK

CLOSE INVESTIGATION

A UNIFORM BOARD

;,"": (From "The Post's" Representative.)

LONDON, 20th November.

'■"■, Mr. Eliot Davis (Auckland)-recently |«rent to Denmark for the: special purpose of seeing for himself something of ithe pig industry of that country, an industry which has made such remarkable; progress of recent years.: Doubtless, his experience will stand him in good stead when ho goes back to New Zealand, but in the meantime New Blealand readers may be interested to jknow some of the facts about the outfeut of Denmark and some of the conditions.under which the trade has been Ueveloped. -■■.:,:' \ ...-::■..:;:.:. .•.

On: his return to London,: Mr. Davis feaid=h'e had met a number of the leading men in-the pig industry, including •Sir. A. Bririkrnann, the manager of the JBregentved ITorsogs Station (Feeding Station),; Mr. P. Konholt (who has a pnagnifieent farm of about 1000 acres, idevoted to dairying a.nd"pig-breeding), £Mr.' Hauerslev (inanag-gr of the cotopera'tive' bacon factory at Roskilde), Mr. Tholstrup, at Mastegaade, Mr. E. Paulseri (manager of V the . Brokulde Spairy at Majen); Mr. Larseri; (in charge JDf the breeding station at Elisagaard), pnd-Professor, Jespersen (Government fefiicial,. Testing Station. Department); -: At the* present "time-" the pig popular Jia.on in: Denmark is something over six snillion; in New Zealand it'is less than half a million; Denmark has1 approximately two million cows to New Zealand's approximatels million. At the Po-operative" Bacon Factory, the third largest sized factory in- Denmark, the Average, killing of pigs per. day is 2200, J>ut the capacity there is 280.0 per day. Every pig killed is branded with the .Govenunentistamp. An immense number jof employees are engaged at the carcasses as they^, come round, suspended |£rom a travelling rail. "There are four, Government feeterinaries examining different parts jbf the carcass," said .-Mr. Davis, "and p. Government official branding; each Recording to quality indicated. Orieis 'Xiuhr' brand, showing that,the carcass 5s free from disease. .This is a brand turned' in with a. spirit lamp, whilst ia red '.brand.'is .also placed on the jearcass with a rubber stamp, showing She number and name of the farmer. phe Luhr brand .is; the hallmark of Denmark, ? and.almost identical• with the Jirand placed :on ' every cask of butter, showing... She alliance of these 'two Jnoriey.-spinners for Denmark." . ",/,: THE PURE, LANDBACE. : |,. : Asked if the Large White Yorkshires '■lt Ti c'- S^Ul being bred in Denmark, Mr. pavis'replied: ..; ,:;.. : ; ■~'. ""I jfound in; travelling vound that pie Large. White Yorkshire is fast disappearing for crossing purposes,'and they are now very largely concentrating jbnj the pure Lahdrace. In the last fifty greats' this pig has so much improved that there is very little difference bejtnreen it and the' Large White. The Original Landrace is now improved so jnuch that they are quito unrecognisable friien compared with their ancestors. ."I learned from the manager of the flPeeding Station, where both pigs and tattle are tested, an (endorsement of what Mr. Brinkmannhad told me,'that ,the Danish Landrace is. so much improved that it is quite a rarity to see any Yorkshires bred in the test place! although he had one pen of Yorkshires but of probably 200, and he said that even this was quito an exception, though ie considered that the Large .White gave, a finer quajity of flesh and bacon. He did1 not think that- there Iwas inuca < advantage in crossing the jXorkshire with the: :liandrace. ■ They fere trying to get: the Landrace longer |han the Yorkshire. : Those yHth the long back are the.best; as-.the j3hbrt backs are usually too. fat. ; ;:., ":,■ \ : > __;^At , the breeding station 'of Elisagaard I saw ; some '■'magnificent Jjandrace sows and boars. The average of jigs reared^ here is "from 10 to1 12, sinji..with.. the system of sending f otir ■weaners from' each litter: to the Testing: Statiok; naturally 'shows itself in the very; fine qualify, of the. sows and. their young ones,' which are bred essentially, for sending to - the farmers for breeding, purposes, and not for Jailing.',' '.' ■■,:.'; . .;, .. .-■..:.■' , , "The only ■breed here was the, Land* race, and they had all" .ages1 available for sale: Mr. Larseri told>ine that 80 per cent.'of tho ; pigs in -Denmark are «f Landrace breed,-aid':they, are looking forward to: the time when they will eventually beJiOO per cent.; .without 'tiny. Yorkshire, f'i. >~..- -.;;.• .-;■...' -•'■... _; ; , "■; SMALL HOLDINGS. _ -Mr. Davis learned a tremendous deal jjtbout the recording1, housing, branding, pnd feeding of pigs, whose production Ss much more specialised now than it yas before the War. Bacon pigs are fthe . rule, very little pork being cultivated. At least 40 percent, of the pigs ireared. are with small holders, where the litters average.' seven to. nine. Buyers are always going round purchasing the young as soon as they are ready for. weaning—the only way to 'get the biggest possible- production; Every farmer has the right "to obtain from the dairy a certain1 amount of skim-milk. This skim-milk, is always pasteurised/ and this is a very important.factor.- '.. .'.-,. '~/' ,'; .■. : ;■;', .. . "The farmer buysVor grows barley ?.rid so on. Latterly, Russian wheat and barley hay& been "extremely, cheap, and this has also all been in,favour.of the.cost of production, of;bacon. The food for the pigs is continually varied an its nature, although' the ,'.balanced. Ration is always' "constant.1 ' "The Danes,", remarked Mr.' Davis, P*are wonderful in their methods of pig production. .The Government enforces a system of. breeding "centres isnd also- experimental feeding stations, fell of which are controlled by highly -expert men whose duty it; is to report ftp the. Government Experimental Station at Copenhagen,; from whence one can get all .the information-.that is jivanted." ' " . : ' • ' . . ? , HOUSING AND FEEDING. -{■ : Pens on the Swedish plan were new fa) Mr. Davis; ; They : afford' space, Sight,. and healthy surroundings for itheir occupants. Me has always maintained that comfort; warm housing, and. proper feeding are the main essentials to success. :■ At the . breeding Centres: all the pigs are fed three jfcimes a day—6 a.m;, 11 .a.m., 5 p.m.-r----■the respective ;rations. for each being :mixed every morning. The young pigs, iWhen they first come in, only get pure parley and skim. Ab they grow older, '^he barley- is mixed with wheat and Jnaize. The skim milk is placed in a large vat, and 5 per cent., of butter.milk is added. It then - stands for ..twenty-four hours, so that it can be thickened prior to being'used for the -Jnixture. : '~■•',: ~ ■: . ; -.-.■ One day Mr. Davis visited a big :jfarm, where the pigs are fed to a large extent; upon the'waste refuse from the restaurants arid hotels of Copenhagen. !They are also given a proportion of -wheat, barley, and Tice, to vary their £ood. He added: ' v "These pigs are bought as weaners -'at.about two months old, and at the .time of my visit there were about 500 pigs on' the" place. Tnese ' pigs also showed a wonderful uniformity1, which .is the prevailing characteristic- of practically every farm I-visited. One cannot but be struck with.,tho.marv.ellou3 uniform "size and appearance"of all the

pigs in Denmark, large or small, but haying'seen the methods adopted to bring this about, it; is quito understandable. "Nothing of the kind exists in New Zealand, and until some such' measures as I have described are actually put into operation, with the assistance of the Government, we.cannot hope to reach that stage of perfection, which is so absolutely. necessary to ensure our getting a look-in on the English market.?' , ...,■.' ■■• ANOTHER COMPETITOR. • Poland is now killing and exporting ■over: 25,000 pigs a week—an industry that has developed during the past two years. Girls from Poland used to go"to Denmark to crop for winter supplies for pigs, but now they are, too busy looking after their own industry. ' Mr. Tholstrup, •at Mastegaade, believes mostly in dry feeding. He manufactures by machinery a special brand of food known as Svineheld, which has a large sale all over Europe. ■■' '■ ••■• Professor O. H. Jespersen, the Government official'at the head-of tho Department containing all the records from, the testing station, was extremely Hjnd and-expressed his willingness to give any desired information to. New Zealandcrs who might' care to communicate with him at Madvigsalle: 2, Copenhagen^ ■ • , • . , The systpm of branding is so thor-. ough: that; should there- ■be any complaint about the quality of any particular; carcass when the bacon reaches England the farmer responsible can be traced at once, and fined. Tor tlie first cPmplaiht: there" is a "penalty/- of five crowns, with an additional'five crownsfor each subsequent cPmplaint, up to twenty crowns, after which that farmer; is debarred absolutely ■ from growing pigs.' ' • '■■'■''.' '":- ---' ■In ■■■ conclusion- Mr. -Davis -i-emarked: •'.•''The', intensive' "cultivation,' the thorough aiid efficient; manner in which their farming1 is done, and,1 generally speaking, the co-operative methods in every, branch of agriculture throughout tbe.country, coupled with^the wonderful and highly organised distributing business in -London and" principal towns throughout the Kihgdorn, make it very obviousf why the sucdess of-the ;Danes is-so-truly, maryellous." -; .'■■■■:■ ■■■"