Foot and Mouth Disease

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6619, 4 August 1931, Page 5

Foot and Mouth Disease

REPLY TO MR. McLINDEN To the Editor. Sir, —In your report of the annual meeting of the Ayrshire Breeders’ Association, Mr J. M. McLinden, of the Massey College, speaking on the embargo of live stock from Great Britain, described the opposition as humbug and nonsense. It is nothing of the kind, but is the only safe course that any person can take. For seven years, 191 S-25, I held agricultural posts of responsibility under the Home Ministry of Agriculture, and I had opportunity on three occasions of seeing foot and mouth disease in all its awful virulence. My own grandfather had it on his farm in East Anglia as long ago as 1889, and he also cured it, but I have heard him say it would have paid him better to have slaughtered them, as the cattle were so long getting over it. I had a friend who gradually built up a herd of pedigreo Milking Shorthorns from just a few cows. He went to a sale of pedigree stock in the north of England, and purchased one animal. Coming home on the railway it is supposed that his animal came into contact with infected stock, and five days afterwards it came down with foot and mouth disease. The Government vets, arrived and at once ordered the slaughter of the whole herd of 63 beautful cows. 1 myself witnessed the scene, and had the difficult task of taking my heart-broken friend away from the place. Mr. J. M. McLinden may be a great veterinary authority, but I know many able men, qualified surgeons, who hold an opposite opinion, and who think that it is quite likely wo shall have this disease if the embargo is lifted. Why, Mr McLinden and his friends have not even succeeded in isolating the germ, and, even the claim of knowing the period of incubation is much disputed, in fact A know of a case where the disease did not become manifest until 43 days after contact with infected cattle, and during this period they were visited threo times by vets, and examined. Of course it will be said that these cattle came into contact with other infected cases during this time, but this was absolutely impossible, because they wero isolated on a lonely farm in the midst of a great stretch of marshland in the east of England. No. sir, the fact is that like many other the doctors do not know all they might or should about it, and before they class common-sense laws as humbug and nonsense, it would be as well to remember these things. It is all very well for the Ayrshire Society and also the Red Poll Society to ask for the lifting of the embargo, no doubt they want new blood at any rate the Red Polls do, judging by what I saw at tho last Royal Show, but speaking as a Friesian man, we have very little if anything to gain by importing from Home. A very selfish attitude, my critics will say. To them X answer: Gentlemen, any attitude is justifiable to keep out this awful scourge, which if it onco gets here will sweep away our flocks and herds and absolutely fuin our great dairy industry. How is it that although the Island of Jersey is so close to England it has never had foot and mouth disease? Answer: No living animal, nor fodder of any kind, is allowed to be imported.—l am, etc., ERNEST H. PIPE. 25th July, 1931.