STOCK EMBARGO

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19025, 27 May 1936, Page 13

STOCK EMBARGO

“ORGANISED BOGEY” FEAR Ol' 1 DISEASE A statement 1 hat the I'ool. and mouth disease “scare” was a bogey organised by established breeders in New Zealand was maile, by Mr. W. M. Webster, of Massey (tolleye. in an address to members of the Lunch Club at Palmerston North. .Mr. Webster was in the employ of the British Ministry of Agriculture for some years, including a, period in IG2'3. win'll a severe outbreak of the disease swept several British countries. The great fear of fool and month dis-

ease was due less to actual stock mortality than to the great economic loss consequent upon its outbreak, said Mr. Webster. For instance, in Holland, where ihe disease was endemic, as it was, ill! Iced , jIL all Europe, it. cost .C1,500,C00 or £2.000.000 a year. In Omit Britain the disease had been countered for the past 40 years by a vigorous slaughter policy. Tlie Ministry of Agriculture maintained a large stall" of technical experts who, as soon as an outbreak was reported, gathered in the. locality and at once slaughtered every cloven-hoofed animal on the place. DISINFECTION OF FARMS In the general outbreak that swept Cheshire in 1923. 50 or 60 separate outbreaks were reported over a. period of weeks, when, owing to a- fatal mistake, infected animals from a Kaleyard were dispersed all over the country. Stock-, mg was forbidden for six weeks after

disinfection of the farms, which was undertaken with religious) exactitude. After that the regulations were relaxed and farms could be restocked, with no menace of a recurrence of the disease. Mr. Webster asked what was the actual risk to New Zealand if she relaxed (he embargo against British stock. Much had been said about the risk of virus being carried by a recovered animal. but a carrier could! not reach New Zealand from Britain, and imports from Europe were not contemplated. The slaughter policy was too vigorous _ to make possible the escape of a carrier, while the regulations at the port of export were so strict that any possible virus would have caused incubation before the period of quarantine—l2 days —had elapsed.