LAMB LIVER DAMAGE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28493, 24 January 1958, Page 10

LAMB LIVER DAMAGE

Cysts Attached To Intestines At a meeting of the North Canterbury provincial executive of Federated Farmers this week Mr R. H. Hiatt was reported as saying that it was not necessary to destroy the intestines of sheep to secure control of hydatids. Mr A. G. Brash, a veterinarian of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch, said yesterday that cysts of the large tapeworm of the dog, taenia hydatigena, which were responsible for most of the damage to livers of lambs were attached to the intestines. ‘‘Failure to boil or destroy the intestines would therefore not result in any decrease in the rejection of lambs’ livers for parasitic damage,” said Mr Brash. ‘‘While the large tapeworm is- not a human health problem it must be considered to decrease the percentage of exportable lambs’ livers.” At the meeting a definition was sought of the term offal. “Offal,” said Mr Brash, ‘‘includes all the internal organs removed when the sheep is dressed. All should be boiled before being fed to dogs.” The problem of dogs wandering at night, which had also been discussed by the executive, was very important, said Mr Brash. ‘‘Under section 30 of the Dog Registration Act, 1955, local authorities may make by-laws requiring dogs to be tied up or otherwise confined from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Farmers, especially in areas where hydatid eradication schemes are in operation, should urge the local