PROGRESS OF PIG INDUSTRY

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 291, 21 November 1936, Page 3 (Supplement)

PROGRESS OF PIG INDUSTRY

REMARKABLE EXPORT FIGURES New Zealand Farmers Now Realise Value Of Industry. More and more each year, pig-raising is being appreciated by farmers throughout New Zealand as a valuable source of revenue, a fact that is borne out by the annual report of the New Zealand Meat Prdoucers* Board for the year ended June 30, 1936. The figures set out in this report make it obvious that until recently farmers have looked on pigs merely as secondary animals, using them more or less as farm scavangers; but this outlook has changed radically in the last five years. Indeed, the figures published in the board’s report are little short of astonishing, for they show that in the season 1926-2 7, the killings for export of porker and baconer carcases were 45,147 and 29,486 respectively. But 10 years later the number of porker carcases exported had grown to considerably more than 400,000, and the export of baconers amounted to more than 200,000 carcases.

Imports of New Zealand pork into the United Kingdom reached record figures in 1935 and accounted for 54 per cent, of the total supply of that commodity last year. The growth of the industry in the last ten years in this country is shown by the figures of the killings for export, which are as follows: Season. Porkers Baconers

(to May 31) 428,270 212,836 - Provincial Figures.

The provincial figures for the last six years show a steady advance in pig-raising in the Auckland and North Auckland districts, and these two districts have contributed more than half the Dominion’s total. The remaining chief provinces, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury and Hawkes Bay, contributed small increases over their previous production. When it is considered tbjt about 3,000,000 tons of skim rnilk and other dairying by-products in

New Zealand are available annually for pig fattening, and that a large proportion of these by-pro-ducts have been wasted in past years, the scope that there is in this country for the expansion of the pig industry can be realised. Every district, it is true, has increased somewhat, but not to the extent it is capable of. Once the centre of pigrraising, Canterbury has been lagging behind for some years, but its production has increased substantially in the last six years. It is quite evident that better marketing conditions have influenced greater production in the northern districts, for in the past great I difficulty in transport and heavy freights to their only market considerably curtailed any real expansion in breeding. Quicker transport has now been brought about and freights have been reduced, thus helping considerably in the expansion of the industry in these districts. Sound Organisation. From the official statistics it is clear that the value of the industry is being more fully realised by farmers, and at present they are in the satisfactory position of knowing that the industry is being! organised on a sound basis. Some i ol the -factories that have been i

responsible for the stimulation of the industry may be set out as follows: (I ) Instruction and advice in all matters relating to swine hus- 1 bandry by the Department of Agriculture. (2) An active part by the Meat Producers Board in searching out markets, the reduction of freights, and other useful information obtained from British experts.

(3) The Pedigree Pig-breed-ers Association and its influence on breeding. (4) Co-operative marketing and its influence on export and local markets, local transport and freights, co-operative buying of pig foods, and the endeavour of individual companies to operation the best markets.

(Carcases). (Carcases). 1926-7 .. . 45.147 29,486 1927-28 .. .. 118,551 29,050-1928-29 .. 115,996 43,301 1929-30 .. 94,404 39,18.7 1930-31 .. 110,092 22,308 1931-32 .. 130,520 22,357 1932-33 . . 268,616 55,364 1433-&4 .. 361,430 103,181 1934-35 .. 430,075 157,334 1935-36