BRITISH PEDIGREE STOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21561, 4 August 1933, Page 12

BRITISH PEDIGREE STOCK

NEW ZEALAND EMBARGO REASONS FOR REMOVAL GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S VIEWS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Thursdny In order to remove any apprehension which may arise through a summarised report of a speech by the GovernorGeneral, Lord Bledisloe, at Hastings yesterday, and to correct some inaccuracies, His Excellency has supplied the following text of his remarks on "tire subject of the embargo on the importation of British pedigree livestock: — Lord Bledisloo urged Now Zealand farmers not. to oppose the lifting of the present continuous embargo on the importation of British pedigree livestock for tho following reasons, all of which were substantiated from official sources in both Groat Britain and New Zealand: —

(1) Many breeds of livestock in New Zealand show signs of inbreeding and badly need the introduction of fresh blood from abroad. This can only bo obtained (except at great cost) direct from tho -Mother Country. (2) No case of foot-and-mouth disease in any importing country has over been proved to be traceable to Great Britain, and this in spito of the fact that she has had for several. generations an immense trade in pedigree animals with every part of the world. British Quarantine Station (3) No case of foot-and-mouth disease has ever been found in tho British export quarantine station on tho Thames (deliberately established at the expense of tho Empire Marketing Board to overcome all apprehension regarding the transmission of the disease on the part of oversea Dominions), and no caso has ever occurred on a' British ship conveying an animal thence to any other country. , (4) The small island of Jersey, and possibly also Guernsey, off the coast of Britain, is tho only country in tho world other than New Zealand that maintains a complete and continuous embargo upon tho introduction of cattle from Great Britain, and this mainly for tho purpose of maintaining the purity of the island breed, and not through fear of admitting disease. (5) No other European countries maintain an animal export quarantine station comparable in equipment or drastic efficiency of control with that established by Britain on the Thames and supervised by experts of the British Ministry of Agriculture, All animals entering it must be passed as healthy 'and must remain within it during the maximum period, of incubation or anv infectious disease. From it they are shipped straight on board. " . Period of Incubation (6) Apart from this soiirco of security, tho period of incubation °f and-niovith disease never exceeds thirteen days, and the voyage to New Zealand from Britain takes at least five weeks. < ' .

(7) It is sometimes suggested that animals, although sound thomselves, may be "carriers" of the disease from •one affected animal to another. Numerous experiments to test the accuracy of this theory havo been made by the. Standing Foot-and-Mouth Disease Experts Committee in Britain, and they declare it to be "not proven." (8) There is no country in the whole world, except the British Dominions and the United States of America, ■which is so free from foot-and-mouth disease as Great Britain. It is endemic in all other European countries, except Poland and Russia, and no other country in the world takes such drastic measures (by slaughter and isolation and the burning of carcases) to prevent its spread, owing partly to the density of the animal population and the numerous roads traversing tho country, but mainly to tho high value of her pedigree stock of every description and her export trade in them. Instead of these measures being a source of alarm, they should create a feeling of absolute security to importing countries. Nature of Disease

(9) Foot-and-mouth disease is not a dangerous or incurable disease. It -is equivalent to a bad influenza case in human beings. In South America, whero about one in every four anima/3 Used to be affected with it, not mor* ■than 5 per cent ever died of it, although no attempt was made to cure it. It is, however, extremely infectious-, and spreads with great rapidity in consequence. (10) The'. association of veterinary officers of New Zealand last week unanimously passed a resolution advocating the admission into New Zealand of British pedigree stock in view of the efficiency of the British quarantine station. , (11) The quarantine system (applied to all animals entering New Zealand) is equally efficient. Farmers of New Zealand cannot afford, if tlioy are to compete successfully \wth other countries, to stand alone in resisting tho only effective means for maintaining the constitution, conformation and trueness to right type of farm animals. This is especially necessary to recognise now there is a prospect of developing trade with England in chilled beef. The present type of big animal in New Zealand is not suited to British requirements. Only wealthy stockownors can afford to " obtain pedigree animals from Britain by resting them on tho way in Canada, the United States of America, or Australia, with all the additional charges involved. These more thau double tho cost of an animal. His Excellency added that he' never made the statement that New Zeajlanders fed their pigs on garbage, but ho did sav that a Hawke's Bay newspaper was wrong in advising them to ido so if they wanted to secure tho :British trade'in bacon andpork.