MILLION POUNDS LOST

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXII, Issue 4641, 18 May 1938, Page 5

MILLION POUNDS LOST

RESULT OF DISEASE. FACIAL ECZEMA EPIDEMIC. HEAVY WAIKATO BURDEN. It is estimated by competent authorities that close on £1,000,000 has been lost by Waikato farmers through the facial eczema epidemic. This huge sum takes into account not only the direct losses by death of stock, but also the limited income that will result next season through a smaller lambing and calving.

It is pointed out that the 100,000 breeding ewes, which had died or have been killed because of the disease, represents a loss of some £200,000, while the reduced lambing next season will mean an approximate loss of another £200,000. Farmers have been compelled to sell fat sheep at 75 per cent, of their value and this loss is estimated to reach £IOO,OOO. To these losses must be added the haulage charges for infected sheep. These figures account only for the fat lamb trade, but it is considered that when the losses that will be incurred through smaller wool cheques, butterfat' cheques and through the death and infection of dairy cows with the consequent loss of calves, are taken into account that the total loss will be approximately £1,000,000.