GARBAGE FED TO PIGS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23947, 14 May 1943, Page 6

GARBAGE FED TO PIGS

NEW CONTROL AMENDMENT EXPECTED Amending regulations providing for fome control of the collection of garbage for feeding to pigs as a precaution against the occurrence of a swine fever outbreak or foot-and-mouth disease are expected to be gazetted shortly. Mr E. E. Elphick, livestock superintendent of the Department of Agriculture, Christchurch, said yesterday that at present it was an offence to feed unboiled garbage to pigs. It was now proposed to extend provisions of the Stock Diseases Regulations so that persons desiring to obtain garbage from sources other than on the premises on which pigs were kept must obtain a permit from the director of the livestock division. No permit was to be granted by the director unless the promises of the applicant complied with the following: (1) that part of the premises inaccessible to pigs be set apart only for receiving. handling, storing, and boiling garbage: ( 2) that for the efficient handling. storing, and boiling of garbage before it was fed to pigs there must be installed on part of the premises set apart (a) a steam generating plant capable of raising the temperature of garbage to boiling point and maintaining the temperature for at least an hour, and (b) a boiler or boilers of sufficient capacity to boil the quantity of garbage received daily. The conditions to be complied with by the holder of a permit to obtain garbage would be. he said; That all garbage on his premises was heated to boiling point and maintained so for an hour before being fed to pigs; that all empty garbage containers were effectively washed and cleaned with boiling water or treated with steam before being used again: and that no ga-bnee was disposed of to anv person not holding a permit under the regula‘;on Mr Elphick sari that any inspector of stock under the amendment had the right to suspend any permit if satisfied that the conditions were not being compled with, and the director might, on considering the inspector's report, remove the suspension or revoke the permit. A permit might also be revoked at the request of the holder, or if he was convicted of an offence against the regulations, or if the director was satisfied on evidence considered sufficient that the permit should be revoked.