RESEARCH AT WEYBRIDGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23014, 17 October 1936, Page 3

RESEARCH AT WEYBRIDGE

WORK ON ANIMAL DISEASES AND SERVICE FOR FARMERS STAFF INCLUDES NEW ZEALANDER (From Our Own Correspondent) (By Air Mail) LONDON, Sept. 19. While in England, on his way from New Zealand to the Falkland Islands, Mr D. S. A. Weir (Blenheim), who has been appointed British Colonial Live Stock Adviser to the Falkland Islands Administration, paid a visit to the Veterinary Research Station at Weybridge. This station, one of several in Great Britain, is engaged upon work that has a very definite interest to New Zealand, inasmuch as its research concentrates upon diseases prevalent in the Dominion as well as in England. One branch, in fact, is engaging the attention of a New Zealand woman, Dr Ruth Allcroft (Wellington), whose husband, an Englishman with several years’ farming experience in New Zealand, works with her in the same department at Weybridge. Dr Ruth Allcroft’s particular study is the problem of metabolic disorders of sheep, in particular acetomaemia in ewes, commonly referred to in New Zealand as the pregnancy disease of sheep. Her husband is investigating lactation tetany, which may be described briefly as hypersensitivity in stock ending in death by convulsions. Dr Ruth Allcroft is at present assisted by a grant from the Carnegie Trustees in Scotland, while her husband is a member of the permanent staff. The Weybridge ■ Station is known throughout Great Britain for its work It concentrates upon certain diseases, research upon others being the special subjects of other Government stations. The station is part of the organisation set by the Ministry of Agriculture to enable farmers, market fruit-growers, allotment holders, and all with a practical interest in agriculture to obtain advice on the problems that arise in the course of their work. Briefly, the plan followed is the division of England and Wales into 13 provinces, each served by an advisory centre, which may be either a university or a university college, with a department of agriculture, or an agricultural college. A SERIOUS PROBLEM One of the serious problems encountered by the British dairy farmer, in common with the New Zealander, is epizootic abortion in cattle, or slipping calf. Farmers meeting with this disease in their herds communicate with the station. They receive an advisory leaflet issued by the Ministry explaining the causes of infection, symptoms and methods of prevention, and, where necessary, are supplied with vaccine. This is “ manufactured ” at the station and is regarded aj a steady “industry.” Parcels containing the vaccine are sent out daily to. all parts of the country and the treatment given to “empty” cows. Another service performed- for farmers is a treatment of cattle for red water. This is frequently effected before animals are exported abroad. Animals are sent to the station to be “vaccinated” for the disease. The effect is much the same as vaccination for smallpox in a human being. The animal so treated for red water contracts the disease in a mild form, recovers, and is thereafter immune. There have been several instances of farmers shipping valuable beasts abroad only to have a report sent back that red water has been contracted, fol lowed by death. This service given by the station is, therefore, naturally appreciated.

POULTRY PROBLEMS Poultry farming is carried out on a large'scale in many parts of the country, and very heavy demands are made upon the staff engaged upon work in this branch of the station’s activities. No fewer than 250,000 blood tests are effected annually, and the staff is engaged at full pressure during the season, which usually lasts from July until February. Poultry farmers wishing to test their flocks for bacilliary white diarrhoea and coccidiosls are supplied with the necesary test tubes, numbered and immaculately arranged, and a bleeding needle. The tubes containing the specimens are then despatched to the station, where the tests are made and reports returned to the farmer, who destroys the affected birds. This service is particularly valuable to those farmers whose flocks are as large as 30,000 birds, where an unchecked disease may cause considerable financial loss. The discovery of these diseases among fowls, including fowl pox. is so valuable to the farmer that many privately-owned research stations have been established and run on a commercial basis. It is not the intention of the Government station at Weybridge to compete on a commercial basis, but nevertheless the service is used to such an extent that a small profit is shown each year. At the-busiest time of the season it is not unusual for 5000 blood tests to be made in one day. Numerous post-mortems are also made on fowls suspected of infection or carrying disease. The average is

20 to 30 every day. The results are forwarded to the fanper, together with advice or medicinal doses for other affected birds. As many as 400.000 doses are sent out annually. As In the case of other diseases, leaflets are issued by the Ministry for poultry ailments, and these are circulated to the farmers to acquaint them with methods of diagnosis, post-mortem appearance, treatment, control, and eradication. LIVER ROT IN SHEEP Research is being directed continually upon fluke, or liver rot in sheep. This has existed in Great Britain for many years, and has been the cause of great losses, as in New Zealand. Every year a number of sheep die from the effects of this disease, but in certain years it assumes characters of a widespread epizootic, and the loss becomes enormous. As is now well known, the liver fluke, in its embryo stages, feeds upon small, brown-shelled fresh-water snail varying in length from one-eighth to half an inch. As a general rule this snail is confined to lowlands, valleys, and marshes, but it may occur in highlands where the conformation fa\'Ours the distribution of the snail. Contrary to popular belief, it has been found that liver rot may occur on salt marshes. Land drainage is one of the most effective preventives, but where this is impossible land may be dressed with copper sulphate (bluestone). An interesting fact is that the snail has certain natural enemies, notably the duck (both wild and domesticated) and frogs. Rabbits are possible carriers of liver fluke, and cattle are liable to become infected. Research workers in New Zealand co-operate with their confreres at Weybridge, and information upon diseases common to the Dominion and Great Britain are being ox changed. Incidentally, farmers may be interested to know that British veterinary surgeons support their New Zealand colleagues in the assertion that there is no risk of foot-and-mouth disease being carried from Great Britain to New Zealand by British stock. Officials at Weybiidge are emphatic that if an animal were infected with the disease there would be an outbreak or ample evidence of it long before the beast was landed in New Zealand.