No Change In Policy On Lousy Sheep

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31764, 22 August 1968, Page 14

No Change In Policy On Lousy Sheep

The executive committee of the meat and wool section of North Canterbury Federated Farmers yesterday agreed that pens of sheep found infested with lice at the Addington market should continue to be withdrawn from sale by auction.

The decision was made. after the Amuri delegate (Mr, C. A. Croft) had put forward a remit that the Department of Agriculture be urged to follow up the sources of infestation when sheep are ticketed for lice. Mr Croft withdrew the remit when the chairman (Mr A. F. Wright) said the meeting did not want remits which might lead to friction between neighbours. Earlier, Mr Croft said that one of the members of his branch received a ticket for lousy sheep but he was not visited by a stock inspector. “He knows the source of the infestation, but can do nothing about it." Mr Croft said. “Under the Stock Act he can do something about it,” said Mr Wright. “If he knows the source of the infestation he has the right to go to the Department of Agriculture, and it will take action. Don’t worry about that” Mr Wright said that tinder the Act, the sheep were not withdrawn from sale at Addington but only from auction.

If they could be sold, with a request for an assurance that they would be slaughtered, the loss ’o individual vendors would be much less.

Mr Wright said that according to stock agents, the practice of ticketing sheep in the fat-stock pens at Addington was causing some vendors to avoid selling at the market

“If you want to take some action it is up to you,” Mr Wright told members. Mr T. G. Maxwell said that the only way to make progress in eradicating lice was to affect the individual vendor’s pocket. The executive later received a letter from the Canterbury Meat Retailers’ Association expressing concern

about the small yardings of sheep at Addington. The executive decided that its meat committee should receive a delegation from the retailers.