ERADICATION OF SCAB IN SHEER

Otago Witness, Issue 1917, 17 August 1888, Page 6

ERADICATION OF SCAB IN SHEER

There- is a. steadily increasing demand for our stud cattle and horses of various types, but because of the inefficient administration of the Diseases in Sheep Act, and the culpable negligence of the owners of a few flock, in remote and insolated districte,"the sheep of the colony are tabooed throughout" i Australia. Compelled to action by the out- ; breaks of scab ' in two of the provinces, Parliament appointed a 1 committee to investigate the circumstances connected therewith, and then an inquiry into the efficiency of the official Sheep department was necessarily involved. The report of the committee, which has yet to be submitted to the Legislature, has been drafted, and judging from its tencr every flockmaster outside the infected areas will acknowledge that the members of the committee are right in the recommendation of imperative and drastic measures for the absolute eradication of scab in sheep— a disease that has been too long tampered with by those whose duty it was to suppress it. The committee report that " Two years ago every flock in New Zealand held a clean certificate, and no scab was known to exist."' That is to say there was no scab existent within the knowledge of the sheep inspectors, whose laches in the matter will be recognised from the well-known fact that within 12 months after the issue of " clean certificates " there were outbreaks of scab in several flocks. Seeking for an explanation of the anomaly, the committee have come to the conclusion that in the past much of the blame rightly attached to the executive of the Sheep department, and that in the future exceptional measures must be had recourse to in dealing with the infected runs. The report truly states ; — " The existence of scab at the present time is an absolute disgrace to the colony ; " and the committee recommend that "Government itself should either take charge of the infected flocks or send the most capable inspectors in the service to the different infected localities with instructions that they are not to leave until the disease is stamped out." Further, in reference to the past action of the department, it is stated " There is still great doubt about several of the high mountainous parts of the colony ; but as scab has been nearly eradicated, the colony had every right to expect that the department would exercise more than ordinary vigilance in order to ensure that the disease was actually stamped out. The committee consider the department is deserving of grave censure for not having •done so. To thoroughly scour the high mountainous and wooded countries requires expenditure. There is no' plea setup that money was denied them ; on the contrary, as far as the committee can learn, whenever extra men were asked for they were at once granted, and the only excuses advanced for the present existence of scab are the extraordinary roughness of the country, and the probable wilful concealment of disease by sheepowners. Your committee consider that neither of these excuses is sufficient. . . . . A clean certificate affords unmistakeable grounds for concluding that the department has failed in its most important functions and that a change is absolutely necessary." The committee therefore advise the abolition of the office of superintending inspector, and the division of the colony into six sheep districts, a with an inspector over each, these officials to be directly responsible to a Minister. It is highly improbable that the Legislature or the Ministry, in the absence of special legislation, will refuse to give effect to the recommendations of f the committee, for the existing conditions are clearly defined ; and it is not too much to say that the spread of the disease would be as serious an infliction as the rabbit pest. While it is existent there is an ever-impending risk of extension, and therefore " stamping out " must be effected, however costly the necessary measures may be. Under the new regime proposed, both sheepowners "in high, mountainous, and wooded country " and the inspectors in the localities will be placed under strict surveillance, and no excuses will be accepted for an imperfect muster. But assuming that an infected run has been so thoroughly scoured that not a single stray sheep is left at large, there would be no immunity from further outbreaks unless the depasturing of sheep on the run, or at least the infected portion of it, is prohibited for a time. Writing on the subject, Youatt says : " The grand cause is, however, contagion. If one scabbed sheep gets into the fold, the disease spreads like wildfire, partly by actual contact, but more by means of the rubbing places — the gates, trees, posts, &c. — which the pasture contains." This statement will be confirmed by those who have had, unfortunately, practical experience of the treatment of scabby flocks. A case of the kind in Victoria came under the writer's notice in 1862. At the time the disease prevailed extensively in that colony, while the New South Wales flocks had been " clean " foi some years ; and therefore Victorian sheep were not permitted to cross the border. The existence of the disease in Victoria then, as here now, was attributed to negligence on the part of owners of flocks in difficult country and the'supinenessof the inspectors of sheep. Vigorous action was taken, and it was made compulsory on an owner to clean or destroy an infected flock. Three notices from the inspector were necessary, and time was given for the eradication of the disease. If not effected thoroughly on the lapse of a certain time after the service of the third | notice the sheep were destroyed under the supervision of the inspector for the district. At Ihe date given above scab made its appearance in a valuable stud flock^ numbering 2300 owes and rams, comprising high class merinoes, Border Leicesters, and Southdowns. On the appearance of the disease the sheep were immediate^ dipped in one of the most popular and supposed lv bo eiTtsUivt; dips of the time. They were returned to their usufl pastures, but three months afterwards the inspector again detected scab, and notice No. 2 was served. A second dipping was given, and as the first material was supposed to be ineffective, another patent dipping

stuff was used, and the sheep were sent back to their old grazing grounds. Again there was a very extensive attack, and the. final notice was given prescribing the time for cure with the alternative of destruction. The was then deputed by the owners to examine the sheep and advise as to thfr steps to be taken under the circumstances On close inspection the flock was found to be in a sorry condition ; large portions of ihe bodies were encrusted with scab, and on the fences (post and wire) locks of wool were everywhere hanging. - The poor animals had bent the lower wires of the fences in order to get in between and see-saw to stay the intolerable itching. Although early in the season, it was determined to shear them, and the shearers were paid an extra wage because it was an object to have the clip as close as possible. Immediately the shearing, was completed the sheep were again dipped", but instead of returning them to the old pastures they were driven from the dip yards to lands rented for the purpose and which had been depastured by cattle. To make assurance do.ubly sure another dipping was given on the 10th day from shearing, and it may be added only four sheep died during the treatment, which effected an absolute cure. On the homestead lands, where the disease first appeared, all broken wool was collected, as well as from the posts, for the evidence appeared conclusive that " the rubbing "' places caused the recurrence of the disease. At the expiration of six months the sheep were again brought back to the paddocks, where they continued perfectly clean. Many similar experiences in Victoria could be adduced, for in the times of " scab " experienced flockmasters always sought to put newly-dressed sheep on clean pasture and used the foul lands for a term for depasturing horses and cattle.