The Rural Voice, 1982-08, Page 50PERTH COUNTY PORK PRODUCERS' NEWS
Monthly highlight
on the pork industry
by Hans Feldmann
Board Member Willi Keller reports, that the board met with
representatives of the Ontario Freezer Meat Association. The
association presently has 30 members, mostly small local
butchers. They like to expand their membership and possibly go
national. The association likes to promote the use of freezer meat
with the help of Ontario foodland and the OPPMB and aims to
control and guarantee the quality of products sold by their
members. Cutting the cost of meat purchases through home
storage and buying in bulk could help maintain consumption.
According to the association, 48% of households have freezers,
however only 5% of the people fully utilize their potential.
Willi also reports, the OPPMB plans to conduct further
research into the problem of shrinkage during transport and
assembly prior to slaughter. The aim is to obtain more accurate
figures on the actual shrinkage during the various stages of
assembly and use the findings to possibly modify assembly
procedures. Willi says in European countries, hogs often are
assembled at night ready for next morning's slaughter.
Japan is relaxing import restrictions due to a shortage of pigs in
that market. Import restrictions on Danish pork may be lifted by
Japan in 6 months.
As chairman of the OPPMB reserach comittee, Willi has been
trying to find researchers to determine possible health hazards to
people working in hog confinement barns for long periods of time.
Though millions are spent on animal health research nothing or
little has been done so far to do research on health problems of
people working in livestock confinement barns. Willi has finally
been successful to get programmes initiated at universities in
Kingston and Hamilton, to study and monitor the long term
effects and health problems of people working in hog barns.
THE PORK PLACE -A NEW LOOK -AND A NEW NAME:
Anyone visiting our restaurant in downtown Toronto will find a
new look, a new menu and a new name - Pigmalion Place.
Director Warren Stein (Oxford), who is also the President of
P.O.R.K. Inc., the organization that runs the restaurant for the
Board, made the official announcement of the change at the Pork
Congress.
Warren said the change was made to reflect changing public
attitudes.
"The public has learned in the last tcw rears that there is more
to pork than the traditional roasts, hams and pork chops. Our new
menu reflects the versatility and exciting dishes that can be made
with pork", he said.
Along with the new menu goes a new name - Pigmalion Place.
The restaurant is right in the centre of Toronto's new theatre
district and the name fits in perfectly with the atmosphere of the
area.
Although designed to attract urban people, the 16.000 pork
producers who own the restaurant won't be forgotten. Special
group rates and menus will be available for County Associations
and other rural groups.
The management of the restaurant has also been changed.
Hospitality Unlimited. a Kitchener based consulting company has
been hired to run the day to day operations. They have already
completed a major cost-cutting program.
Warren concluded that the recent changes made him very
confident about the future of Pigmalion Place.
KEN MOGK WINS GOOD HANDLING AWARD:
This year's Good Handling Award goes to Ken Mogk of
Tavistock. Ontario. Mogk, who sells through the Stratford Yard,
received the Award at the Annual Meeting of the Livestock
Transporters Division, Ontario Truckers' Association, held in
Toronto on June 25th.
The Good Handling Award was established to recognize
truckers with exceptionally low records of hogs lost through death
and injury.
Losses are paid for by a fund run by the truckers, packers and
producers which protect the individual producer.
O.P.P.M.B. sales Manager, Jim Rollings, says the ongoing
efforts by the industry to reduce losses seems to be working.
Ontario's percentage of losses has declined steadily during the
last four years.
In the year ending October 1981, Ontario's losses were only
3.247 hogs out of over 4,000.000 shipped. Jim says Ontario has the
best record in North America.
Mogk was selected from the over 300 truckers who serve
Ontario's producers by a joint committee of the O.P.P.M.B., the
Ontario Truckers' Association and the Canadian Meat Council.
The fifteen runners up are:
Ivan Denning, Strathroy; Hadaway Transport, Toronto;
Haffner Transport, Wallenstein; Doug Hamilton, Chatsworth;
Don Jackson, Stouffville; Don Kennedy, Ilderton; C. Kuepfer, St.
Agatha; Lightfoot Transport, Alvinston; Earl MacDonald,
Dutton; Cecil O'Grady, Listowel; O'Hara Transport, Cayuga;
O'Rourke Transport, Dublin; Prouse Transport, Mt. Elgin;
Talbotville Transport, Talbotville; W. Thur & Sons Ltd., Elmira
(Kitchener Division)
Get ready! Get set! Get wet!
Keep cool in a Rintoul Pool
.Sl'r1'lllg the swimming pool industry
in .South Western Onturio for 12 years
W M Re:cauGQ Poo14 £ Simue
R R 1 v, mile North on No. 4 Hwy.
WINGHAM, ONTARIO NOG 2W0
357.2628
PG. 50 THE RURAL VOICE/AUGUST 1982