IS N.Z. NEGLECTING THE PIG ?

Hokitika Guardian, 2 January 1931, Page 2

IS N.Z. NEGLECTING THE PIG ?

Great (Britain icons times some eighty million pounds worth of : pig products annually, lof jwhich abo'ut one-third are local products.

During 1929 over twenty-seven and one-quarter million pounds worth ot pig products were imported into Britain from Denmark as against only nineteen and three-quarter million pounds worth of butter. New Zealand s exports of pig products to Britain arc negligible in proportion to her exports of butter. In 1929 Britain imported eleven and one-hall million pounds worth of butter from New Zealand and only atbout half a million pounds worth of pig products. As bacon, pork and ham, and dairy products are largely joint products in Denmark the question we raised in this Journal in April, 1930, as to whether New Zealand is not neglecting her opportunities for pig raising comes once more to the fore.

That the possibilities of" New Zealand pig products finding a market in Britain have not been fully realised in New Zealand is certainly the impression carried away by members of the Executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce after an inspection of the pigs of the Large White type on Mi* Eliot Davis’s model farm at Takamni, oil the afternoon of Wednesday, 3rd December. This type is ns near as possible to the rd an da rd marketed by the Danes in Britain, and if adopted throughout the Dominion would enable New Zealand to cater more satisfactorily for the requirements of the English buy-: ev and so increase substantially cur exports of pig products. The opinion of members of the Executive aftei hearing details from Mr Davis of his results—together with valuable information given by Mr I*. Harrison (uho is engaged in the export of pork and has jufst returned from a visit to Britain and IT.S.A.) —was that there are great possibilities of New Zealand supplying a much larger proportion of the requirements of Britain in this direction than she is now doing. The proposition is one that should he taken up 'enthusiastically by the farming community.