Dangers seen in cattle imports

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 3

Dangers seen in cattle imports

Concern that the importation of four breeds of exotic cattle from France by the Department of Agriculture could be a danger to this country’s livestock and meat exports was expressed to the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Carter) by a deputation which met him in Wellington this week.

The deputation was sent from a meeting of representatives of beef and dairy cattle breed organisations convened by the Simmental Cattle Breeders’ Society of New Zealand.

Members of the deputation said afterwards that they were concerned that Mr Carter had been unable to reassure them on a number of points, and they remained doubtful whether worth-while benefits would come from this importation. The leader of the deputation and a member of the committee of the Simmental society, Mr R. G. Macdonald, of Blythe Downs, North Canterbury, told the meeting that virtually nothing would be achieved by the importation of the 35 French bulls for evaluation by crossbreeding with local cattle. One of the breeds, the Simmental, was already well established in the United Kingdom, where there were 1000 heifers and about 60 bulls. The progeny of these cattle could be in New Zealand by the end of the year,

. but would probably not - arrive in quantity until April ’ or May next year. • The Limousin breed was r also in the United Kingdom. . Progeny from these cattle would be here about six ' months later, and of the r Maine Anjou probably . another six months later. SEMEN SUPPLIES l Supplies of British and New Zealand Simmental semen would be available by - September next year. 8 The other breed that the 1 department intended to imI, port, the Blond d’Aquitane, - was very similar to the t Limousin, and the two breeds 8 would amalgamate and use i the same herd book. r The Maine Anjou is ’ numerically a very minor breed in France, and figures - published by a French liveI stock exporting. and importi ing organisation show that in 8 1970 only 29 cattle of this ) breed were exported to one s country. No Blond d’Aqui- - tane cattle were exported. Mr Macdonald said that

the only benefit that would come from these importations would be from the later progeny testing and the evaluation of the crossbred stock bred by these bulls. He felt that this could be done far more efficiently by the use of British-bred cattle and the semen of these cattle, without any risk to New Zealand’s external meat or livestock trade.

“It seems strange that the department is embarking on this costly and apparently

unnecessary project at a time when their whole service to the farmer is being restricted by a lack of funds,’’ he said.

COST OF SCHEME The initial cost of importing the cattle had been quoted at $140,000. This was likely to be doubled at the start of progeny testing by the purchase of at least 1400 breeding cows, and possibly further increased by the acquisition of land to run them on. He understood that the imported cattle would be at Ruakurai agricultural research centre for the whole of the progeny test, which would take at least three years. He said it would be interesting to know how the centre was going to cope with 1400 cows and their progeny and make an efficient evaluation of them in comparison with other breeds in the country. Mr Macdonald said that this scheme would have been of great value had it been started four years ago, but it was now redundant.

A potential danger in this project was political decisions in countries which imported New Zealand livestock and livestock products.

“If there is a 1 per cent chance that our meat exports could be seriously affected, even for a short time, then this importation would be impossible to justify,” said Mr Macdonald. A meeting would be held at the end of August between veterinary representatives of each state in Australia, when they would advise the Federal Government about the effect of the New Zealand imports on Australian quarantine regulations.