What a fantastic year we have had with Berkshires in New Zealand. I grew up after the Second World War and the only breed I saw in my area were Berkshires and the Tamworth. The latter breed being used mainly as a Terminal sire. When I started out farming after leaving school in 1957 the Berkshires were still the most recorded in our PBA Herd book till after 1958. Then the Large VVhite took over and in the early 60s the Landrace pushed the Berkshires back to third. Little did I know then that I would still be breeding pigs when the Berkshire breed would have the most recorded pigs again, like in 2008. Fifty years!
 

As in other countries, the colour breeds suffered once the white stock become popular. It was not until the turn of this century that people started to demand that their meat came from natural farmed animals and this country, the same as the world over, embraced Farmers Markets and the Berkshire pig came back into its own. I guess also with the commercial farmers getting more and more of their breeding stock from companies selling cross bred animals, the popular White breeds would diminish, as has happened.

The province of Taranaki where I farm, has always been Berkshire country. This stems from the huge dairy industry in the area which had for many years, a waste product of whey from Factories. Also farmers in our back country with poor roads sent only cream to a butter factory, so they had the skim milk to feed to their pigs. With our temperate climate and the abundant food supply, the pigs were
able to run outside all the time. When the roads improved and factories merged, the wonderful cheap food disappeared, so farmers turned to meal feeding and to get the maximum from that food the pigs started to be housed.

Then it was only the farmers who had grown up with the Berkshires who kept them. And so with pigs imported from North America they were able to improve the carcass from a small pork pig to one that could compete and survive. In this country the breed never needed to be saved by the Rare Breed Trust and so we have been able to keep them as pure as is possible.

Continuing the Berkshire rise, the breed dominated this seasons showing by winning every Supreme All Breeds at all the available five shows in the North Island. It was wonderful also, that it was the old NZ fashioned type pig that won them.

We have now recently learned that a popular East Coast North Island Golf Resort owner has demanded Berkshire meat to be on his restaurant menu. A continual source of Berkshire weaners have been arranged for him to fatten on his own restaurant food scraps. Let's hope this type of outlet will grow and be a new future for the Berkshire pig.

Let me also hope that the young breeders of the future have the same passion as older generations had for this Beautiful breed, so it can grow and prosper again.

Peter Le Bas
New Zealand Berkshire Breeder