FIGHT AGAINST PIGS

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28559, 12 April 1958, Page 9

FIGHT AGAINST PIGS

Voluntary Action At Parnassus

A group of North Canterbury farmers have voluntarily banded together to fight pigs. Their organisation is the Parnassus Pig Destruction Committee, and they have recently started poisoning in 120,000 acres of country oetween the Copway and Waiau rivers and extending from the sea tc Mount’ Stewarl Fhey are hoping .• that neighbouring areas will follow their example and make it possible ultimately to eradicate this pest of at least reduce it to very small proportions.

The organisation was born outof a meeting ,at which local property occupiers and land-owners showed considerable interest in some sort of co-operative pig poisoning scheme. Since then each property lias been assessed for a voluntary annual rate, and it is reported that agreeihent to this arrangement has now been obtained ~ from every property owner approached. Systematic Poisoning The Committee is now employing temporary staff to poison the whole area systematically using liquid phosphorus : Injected into sheep, cattle, and horse carcases and phosphorised pollard in balls of fat. Arsenic will also be used. The intention is to complete this poisoning campaign in the next two to three months and then follow this up with a campaign with rifle and dogs to clear out those pigs left. It is planned to complete all of this programme before lambing starts at the end of August Or beginning of September. ' • *.

Spectacular results are not expected in the first year. It is hoped over a period of years to reach the stage of eradication; but those intimately associated with the sdheme point out that this will not be achieved unless adjacent areas also take like action. t The committee’s work is expected to be eligible for a subsidy which is available to county councils from the Government through the Forest Service. Councils may receive up to £2OO on a £ for £ subsidy on rates. Out of that councils may pay a is bounty on snouts, but a spokesman for the Forest Service said this week that the service considered it much better if the money was spent on all-out destruction. The Parnassus committee is operating mainly in the Cheviot county, but also in the Amuri county.

Because of the depredations of pigs, lambing percentages in this district have been reduced to only about 50 per cent, arid on individual farms where control methods have been employed these percentages have been raised from a little more than 50 per cent, to 100. Pigs also graze and foul pastures, create a seed bed for weeds such as nassella tussock, and destroy undergrowth and forest regrowth.

For Poultry Farmers The fifth South Island poultry farmers’ refresher course will be held in the Young Farmers’ Club memorial hall at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, on May 13 to 15. The course is sponsored by the New Zealand Poultry Board and members of the board will attend and take part in proceedings. The guest speaker at the opening session of the course-will be Miss M. B. Howard, Minister of Social Security and Social Welfare. There will be addresses on such subjects as egg production and egg quality, poultry feeding production of table poultry, experience with the Californian type of laying cages, the Englishtype battery cages and housing for this type of battery in New Zealand, and a review of present knowledge of artificial lighting as an aid to egg production. The programme also includes demonstrations of equipment, processing and packing of table poultry and visits to a glass factory and a firm of millers and grain merchants.