Grading of Baconer Pigs

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 33, 9 February 1937, Page 5

Grading of Baconer Pigs

INTENTIONS OF DEPARTMENT The question of placing the New Zca land baconer trade in a better position from the Home trade point of view has been under investigation for some time by the London Manager of the New Zealand Meat Producers Board. There has been a general and insistent de mand for a better grading of our baconers from many bacon curers at Home and in some instances they have complained that they cannot rely upon the selection when purchasing a parcel of New Zealand baconer pigs. It has been clearly demonstrated to the Meat Board’s London Manager that there is a practically unanimous desire amongst the trade for standardised grading. Prof. Riddet, of Massey Agricultural College, who has been looking closely into the position at Home recently prepared a most exhaustive report in collaboration with the Board’s Londou Manager on the whole question of grading of baconers, and also the need for a standard cut and trim for sides and pork legs.

The matter is now under consideration by the Meat Board in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture and it is likely that new standards of grading will be brought into operation commencing with tho 1937-38 season, whereby all baconers exported from the Dominion will be graded more in conformity with the standards required by the trade at Home as to length of side, thickness of back fat, etc. With this object in view it is the intention of tho Board and Department to consult experts and representatives of all interested parties on this important question. At the same time it is also intended to take up the matter of introducing a standard cut and trim for sides and pork legs. The export of New Zealand pork has increased in a striking way in recent ye ars as the following figures will show:—

Killings for Export. Season Porkers Baconers C/cs. C/cs.

This development has been aided by the special reduction in shipping freight rates secured by the Meat Board in its first freight contract with the Whipping Companies, and also by the assistance given the industry by the board in a number of other directions, notably the annual grants to Pig Itecording Clubs to enable them to carry out educational work regarding pig management and research work. New Zealand porker pigs are particularly well thought of on Wmithfield market, in fact in the opinion of the trade, there is no better quality coming to that market.

With the increase in New Zealand production of baconer pigs, buyers at Home, some of whom are large users of our product, are becoming more discriminating and the board is of opinion that the time has arrived for placing the grading of baconer carcases on a better footing. It is essential that New Zealand should set about reducing the present disparity in price of bacon made from New Zealand pigs, and that of Danish bacon. Most other countries adopt very exact grading standards and they are all taking steps to improve their quality. Tho standard of grading set by competing countries is very much higher than it was even two or three years ago. When tho grading of New Zealand pork for export was first introduced it was recognised that the standard would require to be gradually tightened up as the producers became educated to the class of carcase which was required by the trade. A great deal of valuable educational work and propaganda has already been accomplished by the recording clubs but much yet remains to be done beforo New Zealand can introduce such strict measurement standards as for example those in force in such a country as Denmark which has specialised in this trade for along period of The new standards of grading will provide for definite measurements as to length of side and thickness of back fat and it is the intention that these measurements will gradually be placed on a hill higher standard as the educational work spreads under the coordinating efforts of the rc-orgnnised pig husbandry section of the Department of Agriculture under Mr M. J. Scott, late of Lincoln College.

1925-26 28,819 21,184 1926-27 ' 45,147 29,486 1927-28 318,551 29,050 1828-29 115,996 43,301 1929-30 94,404 39,187 1930-31 110,092 22,308 1931-32 130,520 22,357 1932-33 268,016 55,364 1933-34 361,430 103,181 1934-35 430,075 157,334 1935-36 459,871 219,690