GARBAGE FOR PIGS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25466, 22 February 1944, Page 4

GARBAGE FOR PIGS

DANGER OF DISEASE

BREACH OF REGULATIONS

” So far as I know, this Is the first pioseeutlon of Its kind in New Zealand,’’ said Mr O G. Stevens, when he appealed in the City Police Court yesterday for Frederick Albin Victor Hoatten, who admitted committing a breach of the Stock Diseases Regulations on or about January 17. The charge was that, being the owner of swine, he acquired for the purpose of feeding them garbage obtained elsewhere than on the premises on which they were kept, though he was not the holder of a permit to do so. Mr O. O. Mackley, principal district inspector, who conducted the prosecution for the Department of Agriculture, emphasised the necessity for the amended regulations relating to the feeding of garbage to swine. An outbreak of swine lever in the past 12 yeais had cost the New Zealand Government and the faimera concerned several thousand pounds to combat. This outbreak was definitely traced to a source on an overseas vessel, and the amendment to the regulations now provided for the boiling of all gaibage collected from outside sourc ® s ' When the regulations were amended, Mr Mackley added, pig farmers in the Dunedin district were interviewed bv an inspector, Mr Ross, who advised them how to obtain the necessary plant in ordpr to comply with the regulations. The defendant had been backward in niakm hfs application, and had been interviewed freauently. He had agreed to the erection of the necessary plant, but an aPPpcaUo to collect garbage for his farm had nev b^He m runs approximately 300 pigs tt aDDears that he has simply ignored the department's request,” Mr Mackley said “The department looks upon the offence aS M a r V !tevlns io said na because of the of an outbreak of swine fever L the result of feeding to Pigs garbage collected from overseas vessels the reg^u a tions had been amended, and there n«*a been an. outburst of indignation from the farmer The defendant was a supplier to a butcher who refused to accept pigs from him if they were / slop &d -that was, if their food was boiled. The fendant did not obtain food ° r from any overseas vessel. After a boiler, he found it was too large for the job? and had erected a smaller one which he believed, did not comply with the regulations, and, therefore, did not iustifv his applying for a permit. He applied for a temporary licence so that he could collect food for the pigs until he obtained a suitable boiler, but was told that it was no use making an application until his plant was in order. Mr Mackley said that the defendant now had a-boiler which was satisfactory as far as the department was concerned. The hearing was adjourned to enable the defendant to make application for a permit to acquire garbage, and on the court resuming Mr Stevens stated that the departmental officials had agreed-to recommend to their head office m Wellington that the permit be granted. The defendant had complied with the requirements for the provision of a permit, but he had been under a misunderstanding that what he had done was insufficient to obtain a permit, and, accordingly? he did not make aP '^The t 'prosecution will serve to bring under the notice of the public the necessity for strict compliance with the Stock Diseases Regulations,” said the magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle). It was now necessary for the garbage to be heated to a certain degree to destroy possible deleterious contents The defendant had certainly been very lax in the matter, but this was the first case of its kind. The defendant was fined 20s, with costs (10s).