Drastic steps taken

Press, 13 February 1981, Page 1

Drastic steps taken

By 10 o’clock last evening all stock on the Temuka property were dead, except for one sheep held specially by the Ministry pending the results from Pirbright. Sixty veterinarians and livestock officers were on patrol on farms in the Temuka area last evening, in the neighbourhood of the Dennis property. Stock were being inspected, and some 350 properties were involved. Ten garbage-fed piggeries in the movement control area were also being inspected. Ministry staff were using the Timaru Harbour Board’s cleaning unit to clean and disinfect vehicles which had carried stock, the Ministry said. Late last evening, the animal health authorities had shifted the southern boundary of the South Canterbury stock disease alert area from the Pareora River north by about Ikm. This move was to allow the Pareora freezing works to receive stock from the south, said the Ministry’s. Meat division acting direc-: tor, Mr A. Royal. Trace - back procedures had established that no stock from the suspect farm had been killed at the works. He said that natural boundaries would still prevent stock from the Temuka control area reaching the works, while allowing animals from clean areas to the south to reach the works. Straw pads of disinfectant have been provided for all vehicles travelling through the road blocks. Motorists to South Canterbury will face restrictions today, as roadblocks have been set up on all access routes from the north, south and west. Timaru police said last evening that there would be checks at points such as the Rangitata bridge on State Highway 1, but that did not mean normal traffic would not be allowed to pass after checks were made. ’