A BAD YEAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 17, 21 January 1938, Page 9

A BAD YEAR

HEAVY COST IN BRITAIN

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, January 1.

More than 30,000 head of livestock have been slaughtered in England since' the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the middle of October. Compensation payable to farmers for their losses so far total nearly £224,000.

Since October 16 there have been 153 outbreaks. Excepting small outbreaks in Northumberland and Cheshire, the disease has been substantially confln-. Ed to the eastern and southern counties. An area of infection at Devizes is now causing some (Concern, but apart from this there are' signs that the incidence of the disease is abating. Up to date there have been slaughtered 8651 cattle, 15,144 sheep, and 6537 pigs. Serious as the outbreak is it does not compare with the experience of 1923, when the animals slaughtered included 69,256 cattle, 26,170 sheep, and 33,304 pigs, and the compensation paid to farmers amounted to £1,898,211.

The average annual number of animals slaughtered during the years 1925 to 1937 is 3505 cattle, 5001 sheep, and 1946 pigs. Of the total animal population of- Great Britain recorded in June of this year these figures represent about 0.04 per cent, of the cattle, 0.02 per cent, of the sheep, and 0.05 per cent, of the pigs. In other words, four per 10,000 cattle, two per 10,000 sheep, and five per 10,000 pigs have been slaughtered annually on the average in pursuance of the slaughter policy.

The expert advisers of the Minister of Agriculture believe that there is overwhelming evidence that foot-and-mouth disease was introduced here in the autumn from the Continent by migratory birds, principally starlings. The outbreak began when the mass migrations were at their height, and the type of infection, the areas affected, and the way in which the disease spread leave little doubt that it was carried by birds.

When the first outbreaks were confirmed in Norfolk farmers spoke of having seen their fields infested a few days before by starlings that were obviously exhausted by a long flight over the sea. The recent spread of the infection to Wiltshire is believed to be due to migratory birds having resorted to animal feeding-troughs because of the hard weather. The theory that the disease is imported by birds is now being made the subject of further research. But even if the theory is confirmed it is felt that no organised measures against the risk of the introduction of infection by this means would be practicable.

Such of tho cable news on this page as Is so headed has appeared In "The Times" and Is cabled to Australia and Now Zealand by special permission. ft should lie understood that the opinions are not those of "The Times" unless expressly stated to bo so.

By spocial arrangement Reuters world service, In addition to other special sources of information, is used in tho compilation of 'he overseas intelligence published in this Issue, and all rights therein in Australia and NewZealand aro reserved.