Anxiety About Sale Of Molesworth Cattle

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31499, 13 October 1967, Page 7

Anxiety About Sale Of Molesworth Cattle

Claims that the Molesworth Station was selling diseased cattle to property holders “down country” were made at the October meeting of the Amuri . County Council. Some of the beasts were alleged to have vibriosis, a type of venereal disease in cattle.

The disease is transmitted through the herds by infected bulls and causes abortion or infertility in cows.

The station is run by the Lands and Survey Department.

The council will take the matter up with the Minister of Lands (Mr Maclntyre) and the member of Parliament for the district, and Minister of Labour (Mr Shand). They will be told that the council takes a “dim view” of diseased cattle being sold to properties in the county, with a risk of the disease being spread through herds in the district.

The council will ask for a list of properties that have been supplied with cattle from Molesworth. “Yes, it has been reported in the papers.” the meeting was told when a councillor asked. if it was certain that the Molesworth cattle were infected. “They haven’t made much of it, then.” said the chairman (Mr A. A. Macfarlane) It was a “pretty poor show,” said Cr N. A. Vowles. The public were informed of the profit that Molesworth made but not of these other points. It was criminal that these cattle were being sold where they could contaminate other herds, he said. [An article dealing with the problem of the disease on Molesworth appeared under a four-column heading "Molesworth Inoculation Programme” on the farming pages of “The Press” en February 12, last year.] The same disease was now in some of the sheep, said Cr T. Fraser. In one flock 134 ewes had slipped their lambs. “This is one we don’t want round here,” said Mr Macfarlane, moving that the council write to the Minister, whose department was responsible for Molesworth, and to Mr Shand.

Incidence of the diseaxe was low in the South Island, but it was mueh more common in the North Island, said Mr M. E. A. Cartridge, a veterinary surgeon, of Waikari. There was a very low incidence in the Waipara, Amuri, and Cheviot counties, but the disease was a serious threat in that it could spread quickly from the introduction of infected bulls or cows into “down country” herds. After an initial season or two of Infertility, most cows resumed a normal breeding cycle but some of these cows might still be carriers of the disease, said Mr Cartridge. The problem of the disease was mainly economic, as it affected the birth-rate of cattle herds, said Mr Cartridge. Although a disease of the same name occurred in sheep and was in some flocks in the district, 1 this was caused by a slightly different strain of bacteria. In sheep the disease was transmitted orally. There was no question of the disease being transferable between cattie and sheep. The disease was not notifiable and the meqt from infected, animals was safe for human consumption. As far as was known the disease was not transferable to humans, he said. Control Measures

Several courses were suggested by Mr Cartridge, should farmers find they had infected animals on their properties. These were:— Run a two-herd system, mating uninfected heifers with only a “clean” bull, and any infected heifers or cows with an .infected bull. While this would confine the disease it was not usually possible to run a tWo-herd system in beef raising. The disease could be very serious for dairy herds, but in these cases it was usually easier to cope with as the bull was under close confinement and control If the bull became infected artificial insemination could be used and it was also easier to resort to the two-herd system.

AH infected animals could be sold to the works. This

had been done already by some property holders. Individual cows could be treated with antibiotics so that they could conceive, but they might .remain carriers of the disease..

Vaccination was a fairly new development. It was used only on unmated heifers to immunise them against the disease so they would conceive but they could still become carriers of the

disease if mated with infected bulls.

Bulls could be treated with antibiotics but is was not a certainty that they would become “clean,” said Mr Cartridge. Call For Reports Mr Maclntyre said in Wellington this week that he had called for a report from the Lands Department on allegations that diseased cattle were being sold from Molesworth, and had asked the Department of Agriculture for a full veterinary report.