Farmers Critical Of Ill-Thrift Research

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28660, 9 August 1958, Page 12

Farmers Critical Of Ill-Thrift Research

Allegations against the Department of Agriculture of “inefficiency” in its attempts 1 to cope with the problem of lamb ill-thrift in Canterbury, “muddlement and lack of expert direction” in conducting a 20-farm ill-thrift survey in Mid-Canterbury, and “a complete lack of understanding” of South Island animal health problems were made at a meeting of the < meat and wool section of MidCanterbury Federated Farmers yesterday.

The following resolution is to be sent to the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Skinner): “That this meeting is completely dissatisfied with the form of, and lack of expert direction of, the Department of Agriculture’s ill-thrift investigations in Canterbury. Because of the widespread and severe nature of the trouble, which, if allowed to spread further unchecked, we feel will have serious effects on Canterbury’s production and economy, we implore that a scientific and systematic investigation of illthrift be undertaken in Canterbury at an early date.” The resolution was in no way an implied criticism of local Department of Agriculture officers, “who were only too anxious to help,” the meeting decided. • • .*

“Their failure to help, we believe, is entirely due to the omission of some higher executive authority to provide expert guidance and scientific investigational facilities,” the resolution added. A further resolution called for the extensiqn of the Winchmore irrigation research station into a full-scale research station for animal nutrition and other agricultural problems. “Fobbed Off”

“I believe that with our illthrift problem in Canterbury we have been fobbed off witK just as little z as the Department of Agriculture feels it can get away with. What efforts have been made have been only made to keep farmers quiet,” said Mr A. H. Sim, chairman of the EalingCarew branch of, Federated Farmers, who sponsored the resolution on behalf of his branch.

.Sending the resolution to the Minister of Agriculture was “the first step” the section could take in interesting him in» their t problems, Mr Sim said. ' The step would be justified even if only an extra chemist -was appointed to the .Winchmore research station.

“The time is fully here when we want a full-scale animal health research station in the South Island.” said Mr C. Hilgendorf (Lauriston). “Very good work is being done at Ruakura; but; it has, very little application to the

South Island. 111-t fir if tis all over the South Island. “We are pitching our sights far too low to ask for just one chemist or so,” said Mr Hilgendorf. “The Government is very disinclined to spend money, and they certainly will not - spend money unless you bully - therh. We need at*. least several animal nutrition experts. There is at present not one animal nutrition expert in the South Island—an incredibly silly state of affairs.” Research Station at Winchmore “It is obvious that the logical location for a research station is* at Winchmore,” said a further resolution carried during the meeting. “We therefore request that greatly extended facilities and personnel be made available there, as it appears that even the meagre research plans envisaged for next year cannot be carried out with the present limited staff.” Tracing the history of attempts to combat ill-thrift in Canterbury over the last two years, Mr Sim said that what had been done hack “served no useful purpose.” 20-Farip Survey “Last year, a 20-farm survey was made in Ashburton county,” he said. “All who were in this survey will agree that it was most disappointing—extremely disappointing—in the way it was carried out. The survey was so constituted that all a technician did was to write up .notes to record ths fact that we did have illthrift in certain paddocks. . No grass samples were taken—not one.”

The Winchmore research station had undertaken some preliminary work, but it was simply part-time work by very busy men, Mr Sim said.