PIG BREEDING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5509, 4 December 1929, Page 2

PIG BREEDING.

EMPIRE INTERESTS. IMPERIAL COMMITTEE’S REPORT The 12th report of the Imperial Economic Committee, just issued, deals with pigs and pig products. It emphasises the great hold obtained on the main bacon market in the United Kingdom by foreign competitors who have concentrated on the production of a standardised type of pig and organised the trade in bacon on a national basis. Taste in pig ■products varies in different parts of Great Britain, but the report stated :— “A general change is in progress in the prevailing'taste. . . . A liking for smaller and leaner cuts in place of fat, heavy joints was becoming apparent in England in the latter half of the last century. The lean type of bacon and ham, and the small cut of pork, are now firmly established as the predominant requirements throughout the South of England. In the Midlands the demand is for a somewhat fatter product, and for sausages, pork pies, and ‘processed’ meats, whilst further' north still fatter products find a ready market.” In spite of these local differences, the general preferences for the lean type of bacon is growing. Danish farmers and bacon factories have concentrated on supplying this type. Ninety years ago Great Britain was an exporter of pig meat, but to-day is dependent on imports for twd-thirds of its supply. Nearly half the total imports, which altogether are valued at £55,000,000 a year, consists of bacon from Denmark, in which practically only one type of pig, evolved largely from the large White Yorkshire strain, is maintained. Payments are based on weight and quality grades, and all exports are subject to constant and strict inspection. The vast majority of pigs give dead-weight carcases between 1321 b and 1501 b, lower prices being paid for carcases outside this narrow range. Bacon so produced is marked in England as “Danish,” and not under factory brands. It is all of the mild cured type, and a very regular supply is maintained. Empire Production. At present the whole of the overseas Empire contributes less than oneseventh of the total imports of pig products into the United Kihgdom. Canada and the Irish Free State are the chief Since the war New Zealand has been developing a very useful trade in frozen pork, both for sale as pork and for curing into bacon. The consumption of pig products in the United Kingdom, though below those of Canada and the United States, has increased since the war by about 50 per cent, in weight and 100 per cent, in value, due almost wholly to larger imports of lard, bacon, and frozen pork. Foreign countries have received almost the whole benefit of this expansion. Conditions of Competition. The report emphasises the necessity of meating consumers’ tastes, and of maintaining a regular supply. It contains a statement by representatives of both the bacon and pork trades of the characters to which the products should conform to meet the main market, and of the breeds which yield carcases of the requisite types. It also points out the great possibilities which exist within the Empire. It expresses the definite opinion that these possibilities are unlikely to be realised without organisation amongst the producers and the adoption by them and the curing industry of a joint common policy. Research. The report advocates that entry into the herd-books should be dependent upon commercial performance and not only on show points. It advocates' further research into the problems of nutrition generally, but states that: “From the point of view of the substitution of Empire products for those of foreign countries, perhaps the most fruitful line of research lies in the effort to make possible the carriage, without detriment, of mild-cured bacon from the southern Dominions.” Preliminary experiments conducted at Cambridge on the freezing and cold storage of bacon are full of promise. They indicate that with certain modifications of present practice the problems of transport of mild-cured bacon from the southern Dominions should be possible. The report strongly advocates that those experiments should be continued and developed with a view to testing their results in commercial practice. Competitors Comparatively Few. In spite of the large size of the import trade into Great Britain, supplies are drawn from comparatively few countries, the chief being Denmark, United States, Sweden, and Holland. The trade from the United States consists mainly of lard and hams, and it is possible that countries in the Empire producing large crops of maize might compete in that trade. The portions of the Empire in which possibilities at present are most promising are the Irish Free State, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Essential Points. The report emphasises that regularity of supply is essential for a steady trade. “The idea that the top of the market can easily be caught by an ‘in-and-out’ policy is an illusion.” The • committe envisaged a great problem — nothing less than the replacement of the foreigner by. the Empire farmer in: the main supply of the standard to the British market, and for this;, standards of size and quality, adequate quantity, regular supply, and competitive prices are essential. The general effect of the report may be summed up in the words, “the mobilisation of the producer.” The benefits to the small farmer of a successful pig industry are so obvious as to justify a great co-operative effort involving the farmers and traders of the Empire, and, indeed, the Governments.