POULTRY INDUSTRY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25850, 22 May 1945, Page 9

POULTRY INDUSTRY

OTAGO-SOUTHLAND ASSOCIATION

BLOOD-TESTING OF FLOCKS The poultry flock improvement plat, had taken up a good deal of the council’s time, stated the report presented by the chairman, Mr D. Christie, of Oamaru, to the second annual meeting of the Otago-Southland Provincial Association of Registered Poultry Keepers held at Invercargill. A number of flocks had already been blood-tested, the report continued. The information gained from the tests had been most valuable to the industry, as it had proved that pullorum disease was more prevalent than it was thought to be. The council hoped that more producers would take advantage of the opportunity of having their flocks bloodtested, as that was the only means of telling whether or not a bird had pullorum disease.

“ This applies particularly to breeding stock,” said the chairman. “Personally, I would like to see it made compulsory for all breeders who sell stock (either as setting eggs or birds) to have their breeding stock accredited. This, I think, is the only way to combat disease and assure buyers that they are getting clean stock.” The main problem dealt with during the year had been the feed shortage, stated the roport. The position to-day was not as good as they would like it to be, but it was better than it would have been without their organisation. The council had set up distribution committees in the various centres and they hoped that every member would get his fair share of the food available. Members could rest assured that their council was alive to the necessity for a sound post-war marketing plan. Present at the meeting was Mr T. Gill a member of the New Zealand Poultry Board. Replying to a question about the progress of the association’s attempts to get a reduction in electricity rates, Mr Gill said that a proposal had been made that the Government should institute a flat rate for power for farmers throughout the Dominion, But the Government argued that as it did not sell the power it could not change the rate. A member said that what they wanted was a reduction in the rates in Southland where the power was sold by the Government. Other members agreed that the price was too high.

The best thing to do would be to find out who had the authority in Wellington, said the chairman. Then the Poultry Board would be asked to take up the matter with him. Although there had been complaints about a feed shortage in New Zealand, they had not found one poultry producer who had been unable to obtain supplies, said Mr Gill in reply to a question. He considered that the producers would get through on the present ration. There might, however, be a shortage in the South Island towards the end of the year, as there had been a lot of buying for the North Island.