STUD SHEEP FOR AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22590, 21 December 1938, Page 12

STUD SHEEP FOR AUSTRALIA

EFFECTS OF FACIAL ECZEMA OUTBREAK

BREEDERS DIFFIDENT ABOUT IMPORTATION

crams AgsocnTiow tzliobiu.) WELLINGTON, December 20. The outbreak of facial eczema in New Zealand stock some months ago made a number of Australian breeders shy about importing stud sheep irom tne Dominion, said Mr Gordon Blyth, an arrival by the Wanganella, who is in the stud stock business in Adelaide, and was formerly in the stud stock department of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., at Wellington. He said that unfortunately reports kept coming in that facial eczema was still occurring in New Zealand, and this adversely affected the market. While in New Zealand he said he would be buying sheep for Australia. Pastoralists there were still worried concerning facial eczema .in New Zealand in spite of Mr A. H. Cockayne's assurance that there was absolutely no possibility of the disease being contagious. Last year he bought about 1300 stud sheep in New Zealand and they were delivered when the facial eczema outbreak was about its height. This year it had been rather more difficult to secure orders. Another difficulty was the dry weather throughout Australia. Feed had had to be carted and in some instances this had involved an expenditure that had swallowed up the return from the wool clip. Australia was taking the development of the fat lamb industry very seriously and was definitely out to secure more of the business on the Home markets. He mentioned that Australian lamb could be produced three months earlier than New Zealand, and with this advantage Australian lamb threatened to be a serious competitor of the New Zealand product. At present the lack of freezing facilities was a handicap, particularly in South Australia. The freezing facilities in South Australia were entirely in the hands of the Government which did not provide nearly enough killing places.