STOCK EMBARGO.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 183, 6 July 1936, Page 2

STOCK EMBARGO.

REMOVAL FAVOURED

Mil L. J. AVILD’S OPINION

WANGANUI. July 6. Criticism of the Farmers* Union tor] its refusal to take heed of the advice of the breed societies and veterinary opinion and permit of the direct importation of British livestock into the Dominion was made by Mr L. J. M ltd of Feilding, president ot the ltoyal Agricultural Society, when speaking at the annual smoke concert of the Brunswick branch of the Farmers Union on Saturday night. I Last week, said Mr Wild, the Royal' Agricultural Society, by 39 votes to 11, had passed a resolution asking lor the removal of the present embargo. When the Minister of Finance (Hon. Walter Nash) went to the Old Country he would be told that New Zealand was the only country in the world to close its doors to British livestock by direct importation. The attitude of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union was that it was right and the rest of the world, including scientific opinion, was wrong. Until several years ago, said Air Wild, livestock had been brought into New Zealand and the disease had not come with it. Why? Because it was not carried by the stock. Foot and mouth disease was a virus disease, the symptoms of which manifested themselves within seven to nine days after infection. If the stock were imported direct the animals would be held in quarantine in England for 14 days, during which time there would be an opportunity for the disease to manifest itself. If, by any chance, and the chances were very slight, the animals contracted the infection on the boat journey, there was then sufficient time for the symptoms to appear. There would also be the additional precaution of 30 days’ quarantine in New Zealand

The other side of the opposition, said Mr Wild, was that there might be carriers, but there was nothing to support this view. How could there lie carriers when every animal which came near infection was destroyed? The Veterinary Association, with one dissentient, was unanimous that there was no possibility of foot and mouth disease being brought into the Dominion through the medium of livestock. There were many farmers who expressed the opinion that there was no necessity for the introduction of new blood as the Dominion’s stock was the best in the world Ask any breeder if that was so. Fourteen of the fifteen breed societies in New Zealand were desirous of securing new blood and Lord Bledisloe a good judge of certain classes of stock, had expressed on many occasions the view that there was an urgent need for new blood

The farmers, said Mr Wild, were standing in the road of these peopleThere was not a breed society in Great Britain which did not resent this action, and one society had shown tangible proof of its resentment. The Farmers’ Union was standing ill the way and because of the farmers’ attitude, the' Government could make no move. The matter would come forward again for discussion and he hoped that the Farmers’ Union would take heed of the opinions of the veterinary surgeons and the breed societies. Stock was now being brought into New Zealand by what was commonly called the “backdoor method” and if there was any risk of the disease being introduced it would have come in by now. Mr Wild stressed the opinion that there was no danger of earners. The farmers should take the advice of the veterinary surgeons and the opinion of the breed societies that they required new blood before making their next decision on this important question.