Rabbit, Goat, Deer “Wasted” By N.Z.

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30129, 13 May 1963, Page 17

Rabbit, Goat, Deer “Wasted” By N.Z.

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, May 12. "Any person who travels overseas realises on his return to this country that New Zealand economy is an economy of waste in the midst of plenty," said Professor L. R. Richardson, of Victoria University of Wellington, yesterday. "Nothing appals me more than the extravagant destruction of animals much sought after as food in other countries,” he said. Professor Richardson said that so long as the economy was simply wasteful he doubted if New Zealand

would ever become a supplier of food to Asia and other over-populated countries. The complete use of all New Zealand resources should begin with the export of special foods such as deer meat, goat, and other animals which today were shot or poisoned. “I can always remember seeing 17,000 bales of rabbit skins landed in Montreal some 25 years ago. Here is a much-sought commodity which today in New Zealand is banned by law. “Anyone would think that the rabbit problem is peculiar to New Zealand. There is a rabbit problem in Australia but rabbit is freely on sale in shops and this is the case in other countries. “The practice in New Zealand is to convert first-class rabbit country into third-rate sheep land and to neglect the rabbit as an item of commerce,” he said. Professor Richardson said that his special interest over the last 20 years had been in the waste of the products from New Zealand's very rich seas. He said he was hopeful that the findings on the Fishing Industry would alter the recent situation so that New Zealand would gamer a full crop from the sea.