RYE LAND SHEEP SOCIETY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20083, 12 November 1930, Page 17

RYE LAND SHEEP SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING. At the annual meeting of the Ryelaftd Sheep Society of New Zealand Mr E. Averill presided. Tho chairman's report for the past year stated, inter alia, that the Eyeland sheep not being numerically strong in New Zealand, badly needed fresh blood from England, of tho correct strains, but unfortunately there was no chance of the embargo being lifted, on account of the prevalence of foot and mouth disease, and if the Department of Agriculture yielded to the opinions of people, who in most cases were more alarmed than was perhaps necessary, and wa3 going to keep the embargo 011 for twelve months after the last outbreak, as it seemed was the proposal, it would probably be many a long day before they saw any stock from England. Having had personal experience with the disease, he fully recognised its contagious nature, and the dire consequences if it reached New "Zealand —to dairy stock particularly—and the grave danger of its getting to the wild sheep and cattle in the ranges; but the latest researches had clearly proved that the biggest risk was in its being brought out in hay, straw, foodstuff, iu faet, in any dry stuff. They were always running a certain amount of risk, but with the very strict quarantine regulations now insisted upon at each end there seemed very little more danger in lifting the embargo after Great Britain had been free for three or four months than there would bo by waiting another nine. The chairman further said that it was difficult to forecast what the future held in store, but surely they had reached .somewhere near bedrock in sheep affairs. It seemed difficult to see much daylight in the immediate future, and they would all, probably, be wise in view of the high costs of production, compared with the low prices prevailing all round for their output, to go slow and bear steadily in mind that Great Britain's prosperity meant their prosperity also, and that it was their duty, and to their interests, to trade with her as much as possible.