High Percentage Of Pigs Never Becomes Good Bacon Or Pork

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1940, Page 26 (Supplement)

High Percentage Of Pigs Never Becomes Good Bacon Or Pork

A T a conservative estimate 45 per cent. of all the pigs born in New Zealand fail to reach the consumer as bacon or pork. Consideration of slaughtering and inspection figures over , the past season emphasises the loss resulting through condemnation of pig carcases or their rejection for export. This, however, is only part of a deploraole story of bad management and j insufficient knowledge.

Mr. H. M. Peirson, recording officer of the Waikato Pig Recording and Research Association states that a mortality of 22 per cent. has to be recorded in young pigs between birth and weaning. Had someone been in attendance at the time of farrowing, much of this alarming death rate would have been reduced because many pigs born alive subsequently died of suffocation. Further preventable wastage occurs between eight and twelve weeks, the most susceptible period of a young pig's life. It follows directly on weaning, and, unless the creep system or other method is practiced to make the change from mother's milk less of a shock, and unless care and conditions at this age are good, thriving litters quickly waste away and many fail to survive. Fawcett, in a statistical survey of the position estimated, by a comparison of the number of pigs that should have been available for slaughter with those actually put through the works, that 'there was a discrepancy of 125,000. In other words, New Zealand supports a

are by far the most useful power providers, but up until just recently have been too large and too expensive to fit the needs of the man whose acreage or crops will not support a big power plant. In the past the small farmer has been obliged to get along as best he could with slow and sometimes unreliable animal power. Times have changed and tractor manufacturers are now catering for a small and medium • size farm. The . most popular units in use in Taranaki are the Allis Chalmers tractors specially built in several models and sizgs for all purpo.ses. In two short years since the Allis Chalmers tractor was flrst intro-

death rate of at least 125.000 pigs • year. Much of the loss due to the presence oi tuberculosis in pig carcasses could b» prevented by the prompt detection and elimination of the infected cows in tht dairy herd. v _ . Condemnations and rejections fof pleurisy, peritonitis, faulty castrations, and septic wounds could be lessened# and pig mortality reduced by attention to the following matters:— Good draught-proof housing. Sufficient accommodation for all pigi. Bedding in cokl seasons. Clean runs and feeding places. , ^ Correct feeding, particularly of the pregnant sow. Greater attention to the litter and weaner pigs. i Adequate shelter for pens or runs. Avoidance of overcrowding. Temporary isolation of all newly bought pigs. Good management comprises all the above matters and also includes that little measure of interest in the pigs and attention to detail without which the best of plants may fail.

duced to Taranaki, over 60 Taranaki farmers have invested in an Allis Chalmers model and this indicates in no small measure the progressiveness of the man on the land in this* province. Allis Chalmers manufacturers not only provide tractors but they aLso provide special attachable units including ploughs. cultivators, mowers, harrows, distributors, planters etc., so that if the farmer wishes he may employ the ' full Allis Chalmers team and thus rriake his farming more profitable. In other words he is keeping abreast of the times. He is using to-day's tools for to-day's work. He is helping. the, war effort by ever increasing production.