Swine Fever

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 219, 12 June 1933, Page 11

Swine Fever

Sir, —I have noted and read with a great deal of interest the remarks and comments on the outbreak of "swine fever” emanating from the head of the live stock division in charge of the inspection of the slaughtering of pigs. It was mentioned —in print—the other day. that all bacon pigs were properly inspected; it may be news to the depart; ment and others that quite a number oi pigs never see the meat inspector’s knife, thousands of porkers and baconers arrive annually into the Wellington, markets killed on the farms, the majority pass :t cursory inspection of the glands round the throat.’ and if healthy are “O.K'd”; how about the pigs that are infected in the stomach, that the vet. never sees, if killed on the farm? Consider the pigs tha' have travelled down with the pig that is often condemned by the inspectors in the city. Isn’t it reasonable to suppose that the infected pig is likely to. inoculate the others that travelled with it? • My firm kills and sells quite a number of pigs for the local trade, but they are "abattoir treated” and inspected, and I maintain that no pig should be allowed to be offered for human consumption unless such pig has been inspected and killed through either an abattoir, freezing works, or bacon factory. I think. I am right in saying that what the diseased pigs are more often condemned for than not is tuberculosis; therefore there is no animal requiring a more rigid form of inspection. I am quite confident that if a conscientious opinion was given by every meat inspector in New Zealand, they would voice an opinion that every pig should be killed under the supervision as outlined above. Anyone reading the above comments might reasonably suppose that my remarks refer to pig slaughtering and inspection generally. This is far from the case, as I consider that the meat inspection conducted through our freezing works, abattoirs, and bacon factories most efficiently and capably done. My remarks apply entirely to the pigs that are allowed to be killed on the farms and such factories where there is no Government inspector.—l am, etc.. J. A. BETTS. Palmerston North, June 7.