LICE-INFECTED SHEEP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19072, 17 July 1925, Page 11

LICE-INFECTED SHEEP.

bought in saleyards.

ONUS NOT ON INSPECTOR. [us TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] ' TE KUITI, Thursday. A plea that the inspection of stock in public saleyards by officers of . th ® cultural Department provided inadequate protection for purchasers against liceinfected animals was the result of a long series of prosecutions of local farmers The case before the Court was one in ' which Kearins Bros., well-known Kopaki sheepfarmers (Mr. A. I'. ±±owarth) were charged with exposing infected sheep at the Piopto sale on June 18. Counsel withdrew a plea of not after evidence by the inspector had been heard, but declared that the sheep were infected when defendants bought them at the Te Kuiti sale on January 18. Counsel said the defence had been raised because the matter was one in which the whole sheepfartmng community was interested. He maintained that 1 the stock inspector had not time to attend all sales the department should appoint more inspectors to give the farmer purchasing sheep in public yards adequate protection. It was not the tino that plaintiffs felt so much as their loss of profit on the condemned sheep, which they had to sell for anything they could get. There were similar cases at every sitting of the Court. In inflicting a fine of £3 Mr. F. W. Plaits, S.M., said that the buyers of sheep'should examine them before buying and not depend on the inspectors to do it lor them.