BACON PIGS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 53, 31 January 1938, Page 5

BACON PIGS.

PREMIUM PRICE PLAN. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, Jan. 30. To assist the Department of Agriculture in its efforts to encourage farmers to grow the best bacon possible for; export and to give the department | their fullest support to its grading scheme for bacon .carcases, the principal exporters of bacoil pigs have .agreed to offer producers a premium price of |d a pound. This premium price, it was explained by one of the exporters, will he paid for all bacon pigs grading No. 1 grade under the department’s grading specification. As a result of this decision the buying schedule for prime bacon pigs, dressed weight 121 to 1601 b, will be adjusted immediately as follows: — No. 1 grade 6fd a lb; No. 2 grade, 6d a lb; No. 3 grade, sfd a lb. Overweight baconers of from 161 to 180 lb will be paid for at the rate of a penny a pound less for each grade and unexportable and condemned carcases will be paid for according to value. The standard for second-grade pigs has not been altered, and these will be paid for at s§d a lb. It was stated that the department’s grading specifications are based on the thickness of back fat. It is expected that the particulars will be gazetted on Tuesday, from which date all bacon carcases for export will be measured at the works for thickness of back fat under the supervision of officers of the department. During recent weeks, at the request of the department, grading of a preparatory nature has been carried out at most of the export works. It is anticipated from the experience so obtained that about 50 per cent, of bacon carcases will grade No. 1, about 30 per cent. No. 2, and the balance of 20 per cent, will be mostly No. 3 grade, with a percentage of seconds.