STUD SHEEP FOR AUSTRALIA

Evening Star, Issue 23145, 20 December 1938, Page 12

STUD SHEEP FOR AUSTRALIA

PASTOR ALIST S TIMID ABOUT ECZEMA OUTBREAK COMMONWEALTH PUSHING FAT LAMB TRADE [Pee United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, December 20. The outbreak of facial eczema among New Zealand stock some months ago made a number of Australian breeders shy about importing stud sheep from the Dominion, said Mr Gordon Blyth, an arrival by the Wanganella, who is in the stud stock business in Adelaide, and was formerly in the stud stock department of the Loan and Mercantile, Wellington. He said that unfortunately reports kept coming in that facial eczema was still breaking out in New Zealand, and this adversely affected the market.

While in New Zealand, he said, he would be buying sheep for Australia Pastoralists there were still worried concerning facial eczema in New Zealand, despite Dr Cockayne’s assurance that there was absolutely no possibility of the disease being contagious. Last year he bought about 1,300 stud sheep in New Zealand, and they were delivered when the facial eczema outbrcak_ was about at its height. _ This year it had been rather more difficult to secure orders. Another difficulty was the dry conditions experienced throughout Australia. Feed had to be carted, and in some instances this had involved an expenditure that had swallowed up the wool clip. Australia was talking the development of the fat lamb industry very seriously, and was definitely out to secure more of the business on the Home markets. He mentioned that Australian lamb _ could be produced three months earlier than in New Zealand, and with this advantage Australian lamb threatened to be a serious competitor of the New Zealand product. At present lack of freezing facilities was a handicap, particularly in South Australia. Freezing facilities there were entirely in the hands of the Government, which did not provide nearly enough killing places.