DIFFICULT GERM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17116, 23 November 1929, Page 9

DIFFICULT GERM

FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE RECENT REVELATIONS LON DUN. Sept. 6. Delegates to the Veterinary Congress at Ayr discussed the question ot lorn and mouth disease, most of the speakeis favoring the slaughter policy m attacking the disease. ".It has been conclusively proved that one way the virus of disease enters this country is in Continental pig carcases shipped here to he converted into socalled Ayrshire bacon,” declared Mr, •!. C. i’ovvley, superintending inspector o. tlio Ministry ot Agriculture. In a piggery in Yorkshire, continued Mr. l’owiey, an inspector recently noticed a. large number of lame rats when dealing with an outbreak of the disease, and tliis discovery was being investigated bv the research committee. There were several reasons why it should he possible for the rat to contract the disease naturally, one of which was its burrowing propensities. If the rat was proved to contract the disease naturally, the work of dealing with outbreaks m the field would be more difficult. In Lancashire there had been clear circumstantial evidence ol infection of pigs and cattle through freshly-ground hones for poultry from South American beef carcases. Cattle food was frequently carried in old Argentine sacks packed in ships' holds in contact with hides and many other meat products which might contain infective material.

Considering the extent of the diseast on the Continent and in South America, combined with the greatly increased facilities for trade with them, the wonder was that this country was at times sc

Continuing, Mr. I’owley contradicted the common impression that the virus of foot and mouth was easily destroyer in hay and garden soil. It had lived 2e to SO days and virus kept on hay ami bran at atmospheric vapor pressure had remained alive two to live monlbs. \\ her this discovery was combined with the astonishing fact that experimentally tin disease could he produced with the virus diluted one in 10 millions, one could realise the difficulty in eradicating flit disease.

Professor S. 11. Gaiger, of Liverpool, stated that one tablespoonful of the virus should be diluted to 30,000 gallons o! water, which would be infective whei injected into susceptible animals. After a tour of inspection of the Argentine last venr, he thought there was a distinct possibility of cattle being killed in the incubative stages of the disease and ex ported to England. The situation, however, wits improving. Major D. S. Rahaliati. of Wakefield expressed the opinion that the private slaughter-house so common on ■ English farms was one of the most potent spreaders of' foot and mouth and other diseases.

A strong protest against the presumption, that this country was compelled to import largo and increasing quantities of South American meat was made by Major J. A. Dixon, of Leeds. “The importation of frozen ; meat from South America,” he said, “has made meat ,-heap ori the wholesale market, but not to the consumer. For nine months in the year fat cows can scarcely be given away. The butchers find they can make more profit out of handling foreign meat.