Veterinary Conference On Cattle Imports Suggested

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30712, 30 March 1965, Page 9

Veterinary Conference On Cattle Imports Suggested

Aberdeen Angus breeders did not want to bring into New Zealand cattle that would upset the animal health of the country and they had never wanted to do so. said

the president of the New Zealand Aberdeen Angus Cattle Breeders’ Association. Mr I. D.

Parsons, of Waitotara, in an interview in Christchurch.

Mr Parsons was discussing: the recent failure of cattle purchased by New Zealand breeders at the Perth sales in Scotland to pass tests for en-| try into New Zealand. The breeders, however, felt that they were being subjected to tests that larger countries than New Zealand were! not concerned about. Mr Parsons said that Newj Zealand requirements for the] testing of cattle coming into the country were extremely stringent. From discussions that they had had with the Department of Agriculture they had been led to believe that there were a great number of herds in Great Britain from which New Zealand breeders could buy cattle that would satisfactorily pass all the tests required by New Zealand. However the number of cattle from recent purchases which had failed these tests was most disturbing ‘ and we think it is time that

there were a get-together of the veterinary people in our two countries,” said Mr Parsons.

“Our breeders hope that the whole matter will be completely clarified in the near future so that we will have a full understanding as to where we stand about future imports that are most necessary to this country if it is to maintain the great advance that we have made over the years in our beef cattle."

Mr Parsons said that none of the beef breeders in New Zealand was concerned about Charolais cattle coming in, but they were concerned about the source that these cattle were purchased from particularly if it was the Continent.

Mr Parsons arrived in Christchurch on Sunday for a meeting of the council of the association and a council visit this week to breeders in the Marlborough-West Coast ward of the association. He said it was a policy of the association to hold a council meeting in one of the association’s wards each year. Such visits had already been made to Souhland and Northland and the council had met in Christchurch at the time of the centennial show and last year in Hamilton. This year after a business meeting in Christchurch the council would visit as many breeders as possible in the Marlbor-ough-West Coast ward, finishing up at Nelson on Friday. An informal dinner will be held with breeders in the

ward in Blenheim on Wednes;day evening after a visit to . the Lands and Survey De- | partment’s Molesworth station. Mr Parsons said that I these visits enabled breeders jto meet councillors and the 'councillors to see what was going on in the various dis- | tricts. Additional meetings of the council will be held ;on evenings during the week lif they are necessary to complete the council’s agenda. “I think that there is a tremendous scope for beef cattle in the South Island.” said Mr Parsons, “because there appears to be a world shortage of beef at present. I think it is a field that has generally been neglected in the South Island. I think that the opportunities are very great which is borne out by the sales that we have had in Christchurch in the last two years. Last year for the first time our breeders also held successful sales in Marlborough and at Gore. “We get fluctuations in all departments of our farming activities,” said Mr Parsons, “but those who have ventured into beef cattle breeding have seen a great reward for their enterprise. It must be a lead to others.”

On the markets, New Zealand's quality beef was second to none, including that from the Argentine. Mr Parsons said that Mr Ed Fowler, of the United States, would be judging at the Aberdeen Angus show held in conjunction with the national sale at Dannevirke in September.