Firm Fails In Efforts To Fly Sheep To Falklands

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32073, 22 August 1969, Page 15

Firm Fails In Efforts To Fly Sheep To Falklands

Great difficulty is being experienced in getting seven stud Corriedale sheep from Canterbury to the Falkland Islands, at the southern tip of South America.

“It seems very likely that we may have to cancel the whole project unless some fortunate circumstance arises that gives us a through route,” Mr A. L. Smith, stud stock manager for Wright Stephenson and Company, Ltd, in Christchurch, said yesterday. He said that attempts to fly the sheep—five rams and two ewe*—to South America by five routes had failed. Mr Smith said that the sheep had been bought by buyers from the Falklands who had visited New Zealand three months ago, and investigations into ways of getting the animals to the islands had been going on ever since. With the assistance of Air New Zealand, he said, they were still looking into other avenues but were not very happy about the position as they must soon run out of possible routes.

Routes Tried Mr Smith said that they had first tried to fly the sheep from Christchurch to Los Angeles and then to Montevideo, but the South American airline, Varig, would not take them on from Los Angeles. The reason given by Varig for not taking the sheep on this and other routes Investigated was that they had only one aircraft suitable for the purpose, and only a few days notice could be given of it being available.

Another route explored was from Christchurch, by way of Sydney and Johannesburg, to Montevideo. In this case the Sydney aircraft arrives at Johannesburg an hour after the departure of the aircraft which flies once a week to Montevideo. Thus the sheep would have had to be held in South Africa for a week and this would not have been possible under the quarantine regulations. Another route investigated was from Christchurch by Sydney and Mexico City to Montevideo, but again the South American airline would not accept A fourth proposition was to fly the sheep almost round the world, leaving Christchurch and going by Sydney and Frankfurt to Montevideo. This idea fell down because the German airline that would have taken the sheep on from Frankfurt has its space fully occupied by contracted freight, and could not give space for the Canterbury Coniedaies. Another possible route investigated was from Christchurch by Sydney, Frankfurt and New York to Montevideo, but this proved out of the question, partly on the grounds of quarantine regulations but also because no connection could be arranged from New York to South America. Consideration has also

been given to sending the sheep through London but this was found not to be feasible.

Mr Smith said that a complicating factor in getting the sheep to their final destination in the Falklands was that they had to try to co-ordinate their time table so that they would link up at Montevideo with a vessel, the Darwin, which makes a monthly run from Montevideo to Port Stanley in the Falklands.

A problem with such an exercise was that as well as arranging a suitable time table, the arrangements also had to comply with the quarantine regulations in the coun-

tries where the sheep had to change aircraft. In looking at all the possibilities the help of Air New Zealand had been invaluable, Mr Smith said. Apart from trying to work out suitable time tables they had also investigated quarantine requirements. Without this sort of help the average exporter would be completely lost. It was fairly obvious, he said, that at the present time it was extremely difficult to make arrangements to get stock to South America by air. lit was the first time that he had not been able to get a consignment of stud stock to South America by air, but they were still continuing to explore other avenues; The cost of sending the sheep by any of the air routes investigated would be about $BOO a head, he said. At present there was no scheduled shipping between New Zealand and South America.

Three Suppliers The proposed consignment is: two rams from R. Ensor, Mandalea, Rangiora; two rams and two ewes from R. Robinson, Coniston, Ashburton; and one ram from A. E. Cross and Company, Pine Farm, Horrelville. Three of the rams and the two ewes are for James Lovegrove Waldron, Ltd, to the Falklands, and the othir two rams are for the San \ trios Sheepfarming Company, Ltd, in the Falklands.