STOCK IMPORTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 125, 13 May 1935, Page 4

STOCK IMPORTS

RETENTION OF EMBARGO

Farmers’ Union Resolution

LENGTHY DISCUSSION

After a lengthy discussion, members of the Hawke’s Bay branch of the New Zealand Fanners’ Union decided, at the annual provincial conference on Saturday afternoon, to oppose the lifting of the embargo on live stock and passed a motion, “that this Union protest against the lifting of the embargo on the importation of live stock from Great Britain.’’

Speaking to the motion, Major McDonnell said that statistics showed that foot-and-mouth disease was introduced into England in 1839, and despite the disease being more easily controlled there than it would be in New Zealand, outbreaks were still occurring. In NewZealand wo had to consider principally the dairy farmer. If the wild animals in the Dominion conti acted the disease we would be unable to wipe it out. The trouble was worse than ever in England, and fine herds were being destroyed which had taken years to build

up. There was no necessity for importations as our stock was not deteriorat. ing. Stock must- bo bred to suit climatic conditions. The lifting of the embargo was not a safe proposition. Seconding the remit, Mr W. J. Kirkham said, “I think people who want the embargo removed do not realise what would happen if foot-and-mouth disease broke out. It would go through New Zealand like wildfire. The best brains in England cannot wipe it out. Play safe. Tighten up the restrictions and do not let stock come through the back door.”

Mr W. J. Livingstone appealed for members to look at the question from both sides. Would it not be better to impose restrictions than to allow the present back-door system to continue? He then read the circular issued by the Department of Agriculture dealing with the disease, which appeared in brief form in these columns recently, this circular detailing the precautions taken by the British Government to prevent affected animals being exported to other countries.

Need for Impoxtations Mr E. Averill said that he had seen the disease and had seen it stamped out. If the disease over came to New Zealand, it would not come through animals. We were running a risk all the time in the disease coming out by indirect means. No animal would contract the disease after 14 days of quarantine isolation. The control measures in England were effective. England was only geeting fresh outbreaks from people visiting the Continent, vegetables arriving from the Continent, packing, etc. On the Continent the disease was allowed to run its course, and with England so close the disease had not far to go. Argentine meat was also a possible cause of infection.

If New Zealand did get the disease through these other sources, it would not be harder to stamp it out than in England. The Old Country had a dense population of people and live stock. Swine fever broke out in New Zealand indirectly, and was stamped out in one act.

ARGENTINE GAINING. "We export stock to Australia, and I think you will find that this stock is very close to imported blood,” continued Mr Averill. "That is why we get the big prices. The Argentine has been importing cattle from England for the past forty years and the quality of her cattle is the best in the world today. We must keep the quality of our stock. Australia and the Argentine are rapidly gaining on us. “This is a very young country as regards stock. Stock is not indigenous to this country. In time we will be able to breed without importations, but till then we must keep on with importations. We have eome good breeders in New Zealand, but even our best breeders are bringing out stock from Home. Is it likely that these breeders are going to spend largo sums of money if it is not worth it? Our stock is as yet not good enough to be able to stop importing. Great Britain does not need to import to-day, but they had to import once, and they still import to-day. "I cannot see that we are Tunning any risk by permitting importation. We would run less risk by importing direct. We hav 0 three islands to quarantine on and it seems silly to quarantine in other countries on the way.”

LITTLE RISK RUN. Mr J. A. Miller said that Lord Bledisloe, who bad no reason for personal gain, a scientific and practical man, had shown us conclusively how little risk we ran in direct importations. We imported to-day under a cumbersome and expensive system. We were a very successful country in the breeding of stud stock, but this had only been done by keeping up the quality of our stock.

Mr W. Puddle pointed out that one of tho main reasons for our stock de terioration was the killing of too many of our ewe lambs and the exporting of the best of our rams. At present we had not an embargo, only an expensive form of restriction. We should leave it like that.

“Does New Zealand want fresh stock to-day?” asked Mr A. Livingstone. “Who wants to import? We haven’t got the big breeders in New Zealand to-day. I'm not taking sides, but we can’t "'improve our Romneys much. Keep an open mind and decide whether this will do good for the Dominion as a whole.”

Mr J. A. Koit suggested that the question should be left to the breeders, who knew what they were doing and what they were talking about. It would be a calamity if the disease did come in, but it looked as if it was safe enough.

Mr Teschmaker-ghute said that the Dominion should play for safety. Importations would not give us type for the Dominion. We should have to breed our own type.

“PISTOL AT OUR HEADS.” “It is a pistol at our heads,” said Major McDonnell, referring to the circular read by Mr Livingstone. “If we don’t lift the embargo, the British Government will take it out of us in our export quotas. 1 don’t like the tone of it at all. “Dairy cattle breeders don’t require stock, as they have built up their stock by judicious testing. That is where the sheep breeders have clipped. If we were more strict in our breeding then wo could build up our flocks. If a breeder had 300 ewes and six rams, he would not need to get fresh blood if he had the right type to start with. One breeder of Merinos in Australia has bred for 60 years on an original stud of 80 ewes and one ram without any new blood. We should study our laws of breeding more,’’ he concluded. The chairman, Mr T. B. H. Priest, said the issue was a simple one—whether it was dangerous or not to lift tho embargo. It was decided that the remit be forwarded to tho conference the majority of members favouring tho retention of the embargo.

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