CHECKING SHEEP SCAB.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 31 August 1929, Page 16

CHECKING SHEEP SCAB.

DISEASE 200 YEARS OLD.

EXAMPLE OF THE DOMINIONS

‘ Sheep scab was known in 160 ; 8.C.,” said Captain Norman Bis,setts, adviser in veterinary science at tbe University College, Cardiff, when addressing an English farmers’ union on the subject. External applications were used to remedy it as far back as 1787, he said. If it were not checked it would kill ono in every ten sheep. It was one of the most contagious of diseases, and all the sheep in the flock would lie affected in three weeks or a month. It wins responsible for loss of condition in sheep, and it destroyed the fleece. The milk supply of the ewes was practically nothing, the young lambs were stunted, and the majority of the pregnant ewes would suffer.

He detailed at length the cause of the disease, and said that dogs would act ars carriers of the mites, so that when dipping, farmers might as well ‘‘.put the dogs through it.” Double dipping throughout the country was, he contended, the only remedy; no single dip would destroy the eggs, The first clip, would destroy the mites, but the eggs remained. That was why double dipping was absolutely necessary. New Zealand and Australia had got rid of' it, and it was strange that they had not been able to do tbe same in England. Maybe some government regulations were framed by armchair fossils, but the sheep-dipping regulations were framed by practical .‘men, and ought to be carried out to the letter. He contended that a farmer ought to be boycotted by his neighbours if he were guilty of failing to deal with sheep scab. Mr. D. H. Marfell isaid that from information he had from Lis brothers in Australia they sometimes sent a farmer to prison if lie was twice guilty of neglecting sheep scab. They either did this or imposed a fine of £1(30; in England a paltry fine of £lO was imposed.