STUD CATTLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 260, 2 November 1935, Page 11

STUD CATTLE.

DOMINION STANDARD. SHOULD BE HIGHER. AUSTRALIAN JUDGE'S VIEWS.

The opinion that unless the present embargo on the importation of stud bulls from England and Scotland is lifted by the New Zealand Government this country will never have the right class of beef for export and the comment that at the recent Royal Show at Hastings a lot of the cattle, especially Horned Hereford, were of the old-fash-ioned type in vogue in Australia and England 20 years ago, were made this morning by Mr. A. J. Tanner, who came over from Australia to judge beef cattle at the recent Royal Show. Mr. Tanner is recognised as one of the chief stud stock authorities in New South Wales, is secretary of the Aberdeen-Angus Society of Australia and a member of the Royal Agricultural Council of New South Wales.

"We in Australia have been importing stud cattle right along and are still doing so, and we have never had the slightest suspicion of foot and mouth disease being brought in by live cattle," he said. "It has only been known to be taken into a country either by packing, or green pork or bones or meat from countries where the cattle have been affected with the disease.

Champions Imported. "It was noticeable at the Eoyal Show that all your champions were either imported animals or sons of imported animals," Mr. Tanner said. "In fact the Aberdeen-Angus champion and reserve champion which stood right out from the others came from Scotland, but the expense incurred by the breeders who had to have the animals sent to Tasmania and then have them brought on to New Zealand is an unfair expense and has a bad effect on the prospects of future importations.

"Yoii have ample precautions, in that there is the 30 days' voyage from England, and the arrival here is followed by CO days' isolation on your quarantine islands, which makes it practically impossible for foot-and-mouth disease to be brought here by imported animals. After 10 years of importing pedigree stock into Australia, during which time your ports have been closed to similar trade, our Australian stud cattle has improved 50 per cent and altered the class from the old-fashioned type to the modern early maturing type. Finest Facilities.

"I have travelled over the biggest part of New Zealand on this anl other trips, and I am quite confident that you have the finest facilities for stud breeding in the Southern Hemisphere," said Mr. Tanner. "Your climatic conditions arc similar to those at Home, and if your people were given all the opportunities that should be given to producing the class of cattle wo require I am satisfied wo in Australia would be looking to New Zealand for sires in the future. Last time I was here I took back 23 head of Aberdeen-Angus females to join up with our imported bulls, and had there been any bulls good enough here I woidd probably have taken some back, but there was nothing good enough. I notice that some Scots farmers are taking exception to New Zealand buying cattle from America, and there is some justification for N their complaint when you remember that you object to quotas being applu ' to your beef exports.

"The class of females at lie Royal Show was infinitely superior to the hulls, hut this is only to he expected from a country which does not import the necessary stud cattle. The outstanding bull at t":e show was imported by Mr. Holden, and no doibt this bull will do an immense amount of good. It would seem that those who are not interested in the future standard of your cattle are the ones who do the most to stop the embargo being lifted."