TUBERCULAR COWS

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LVI, Issue 89, 22 November 1935, Page 8

TUBERCULAR COWS

"DISGRACE TO COUNTRY."

PLAN FOR ERADICATION

"To my mind it is a disgrace to a young country like New Zealand that cattle tuberculosis is allowed to exist at all," said Dr. J. Allan Berry in the course of an address in Napier. /^ The only effective means of eradicating tuberculosis in cows, he maintained, was to establish areas where it should be unlawful for cattle affected by disease to exist.

Dr. Berry said there were three classes of cows to be considered in connexion with tuberculosis, namely, station cattle, cows used for the production of butterfat, and cows giving milk for human consumption. He argued that farmers who stocked cows in the first two classes should fall into line with farmers stocking^ , the last-named class in regard to ' taking precautions against tuberculosis. Up to 30 per cent, of surgical tuberculosis cases were definitely due to drinking defective milk.

"The only effective means of eradicating tuberculosis in cows to my mind is the establishment of an area where no tubercular cattle will be allowed to exist," he added. "The advantages of such an area would be great. Apart from the protection of human life and health, this idea has definite financial and commercial possibilities. The death rate among cows affected by the disease would be reduced to a minimum to the advantage of the farmers and furthermore there would similarly be a smaller death rate in pigs affected by the disease through drinking milk given by tubercular cows."