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out of the total amount of meat passing through the markets only 87,820 tons,
viz.: 154 per cent. of the beef, 142 per cent. of the mutton and 30 3 per cent. of
the pork were from home-bred animals.
Those figures explain the high price demanded for home killed meat.
When we observe that South American supplies increased by 20,977 tons or
12.6 per cent. and "Holland with Other Countries "increased by 16,572 tons or
58.7 per cent., we can understand the competition the British farmer has to contend
against.
It is interesting to note that 303 per cent. of the pork was supplied by British
feeders but the amount could be greatly increased as pig feeding is at present the
best paying part of farming. This fact is being realised and pig farming is considerably
on the increase due to good prices being obtained for pork, the lower
price of feeding stuffs, the greater attention paid to scientific feeding and out-door
life of pigs. Schemes for co-operation in pig feeding are being evolved and we
expect shortly that more home-fed pork will appear on the markets to the benefit
of feeders and consumers.
It may not be out of place here to again advise the pasteurisation of all food
which could convey tubercle bacilli to pigs in order to avoid the destruction of
carcases or portions of carcases on the market. For example, in the year 1915 in
the Central Markets 5,141 pig carcases were found to contain lesions of tuberculosis.
Under the old system of meat inspection the whole of those carcases would have
been destroyed causing an estimated loss of £40,000. Under the present scientific
system only the heads of those pigs were destroyed, the above money saved and
the price of pork affected in favour of the public.
The amount of diseased British meat which is found on the markets shows
that as yet the Recommendations of the Departmental Committee on Meat Inspection
have not received the attention of many Local Authorities it deserved.
The lesions observed in some carcases show that no examination by an inspector
had taken place and that the senders were entirely ignorant of disease. Thus
not only is a better system of inspection necessary, but feeders of animals intended
for food require educating on the subject of disease. It is remarkable that our
Foreign Food Regulations are so stringent while the attention given to the inspection
of carcases in many parts of the country appears to be nil.
The Butchers' Federation is urging for a better system of inspection throughout
England in the interests of traders and the public.

Total Weight for 1922 = 39 tons 6 cwts. 2qrs. 2 lbs.
„ ,, ,, 1921 = 33 „ 0 „ 1 „ 12 „
Increase — 6 „ 6 „ 0 „ 18 „
ARGENTINE MEAT.—The quality, grading, dressing and cleanliness of
meat from Argentina and Uruguay were generally up to the usual high standard,
and the show at Christmas was that of meat marketed in almost perfect condition.
The inspection was good considering the great quantity exported, but from
time to time we have found lesions of disease in the lymphatic glands of quarters of
beef while the meat was being cut up in the markets. Most of those lesions were