BACONER WEIGHTS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 September 1940, Page 8

BACONER WEIGHTS

By Telegraph—Press Association.

RANGE MODIFICATION

MARKETING ADJUSTMENT

Wellington. Last Night. An alteration in the weights of baconers for the United Kingdom market was announced to-night by the Hon. W. Lee Martin, Minister of Agriculture, who said the adjustment was mainly one of marketing and would not mean an added burden to farmers intent on producing baconers this year. "No contract with the United Kingdom Government for a supply of pig meat, both baconer and porker, has yet been completed," said the Minister, "but certain modifications of the weight range of last year have been agreed to. As these have a direct bearing on management it is important they should be knov-i ty all pig producers immediately. Exhortation to Farmers. "The United Kingdom has insisted that baconer carcases should be not less than 1111b and not more than 1801b," he continued. "Any carcase up to 1101b will now be classed as a porker, and raising the minimum weight of a baconer from 101 to 1111b will naturally reduce New Zealand's total tonnage of baconers unless farmers concentrate on the production of animals above Tlllb. As the United Kingdom is anxious for us to supply her with the maximum tonnage!*of baconers we can produce from our resources, all farmers are urged to see that as few porkers are killed for export as possible, particularly during the spring and summer. "The other change in the weight schedule is a definite upper limit of 1801b for baconers," said Mr. Lee Martin. "In the season just passed some pigs over 1801b could be exported as baconers in the form of Wiltshire sides. Less Return for Overweight "For the forthcoming season the maximum weight of Wiltshire sides has been reduced from 90 to 801b. This will exclude all pigs over 1801b being classe'd as baconers. Any above that weight would have to be exported as choppers at a price 2 9-16d less than that paid for baconers. The farmer should therefore direct his management so as to produce as few porkers as possible and to avoid bringing any baconers above 1801b."