Imported Beef Cattle

Southland Times, Issue 22999, 19 September 1936, Page 14

Imported Beef Cattle

Lesson For New Zealand From Australia

The aim of the Australian cattle men in improving their beef to bring it up to the standard required overseas is a worthy example for New Zealand breeders. In the beef markets this Dominion cannot afford to be outstripped by competitive countries in the raising of the early-maturer beef, which represents a distinct advance on the old type of beef cattle. Unfortunately New Zealand is not in a position to develop the desired early-maturing qualities owing to the lack of imported sires. Australian breeders have been fully alive to the development and have been importing in large numbers the best bulls, having constantly in view the keynote of breeding early maturity. The remarkable change which has taken place in the quality of Australian beef, due largely to stud breeders purchasing stud cattle overseas, is not beyond accomplishment in New Zealand.

On looking back at the beef cattle which have secured the leading honours at our various Royal Shows and comparing them with the present-day winners, one realizes at a glance the remarkable change which has taken place, chiefly owing to the enterprise of those enthusiastic stud breeders who have had the pluck to purchase cattle overseas with a view to putting our chilled beef on the Smithfield market by bringing out cattle up to the standard and quality required overseas writes Mr A. J. Tanner, the . well known Australian breeder and judge of stock.

True, the breeders on quite a lot of our Queensland cattle country will have to go about the change of type gradually, as there are certain characteristics which have been evolved in the breeds overseas which are rather to the disadvantage of the cattle when turned out in our tick country and. on country where the seasonal conditions are erratic and hot and the distances to rail long. In spite of this, the infusion of imported blood, if the animals are correctly selected and used with discrimination, will be of great value to those breeders also, and by the use of earlier-maturing and thickerfleshed bulls to a certain extent they will be able to dodge quite a number of the bad seasons if they can get the young cattle off six months earlier.

Uniform Age and Quality. One of the worst features from the breeders’ point of view appears to be the amount of coat and quality of hair looked for in imported stock, as cattle with this class of coat are more readily attacked by the tick, and the losses are greater when they are put through the process of making them immune to redwater. The reason why the breeders and judges look for the long, soft hair is on account of the better handling qualities of the beast and the better quality beef under hide carrying this soft, silky hair. However, bulls by imported stock certainly can be found which are lacking in coat, but which have most of the other good qualities, and, although they may not have quite the quality of fleshing, they have many other qualities which make them herd-improvers in our outback country. The sooner we can get all cattle men to endeavour to breed beef of uniform age and quality the greater chance we have of obtaining orders. There is no question as to the alteration and improvement in our studs which have come about by the importations made from overseas —in fact, they have altered the whole of our supplies at Flemington to-day. Look at the number of vealers and young cattle we see in the market to-day, while 10 to 15 years ago owners would not dream of sending their cattle in to market until four year old, and vealers of six to ten months old were conspicuous by their absence. A man living in this country may not realize the gradual change half as much as one who has not seen our cattle for, say, the last 10 years, then goes through our cattle sheds at the Royal Show.

Cattle Men Converted. At the last Sydney Royal Show there were two very keen cattle breeders from New Zealand, who had not seen our cattle for 10 years, and who spent

the week watching the judging and going through them. Both these breeders stated afterwards that they had been fighting against the importation of stud beef cattle from Great Britain into New Zealand for some years, but after seeing our cattle display they were thoroughly converted, and on their return intended strongly to advocate the opening of the New Zealand ports to cattle from Great Britain, as they had not realized the difference in the early-maturer of to-day in comparison with the old type of beef cattle.

In a country like New Zealand, where land is of far greater value than here, these early-maturing qualities are of even greater value than they are in Australia, and yet the majority of the New Zealand bred-sires, unless they are by imported bulls, are all too wide between the ribs, too long in the “boss,” and lacking in twist and loin. With these characteristics and ribs not well sprung, one cannot expect early maturity. Stock By Imported Sires.

The breed which has done a great deal of good in New Zealand is undoubtedly the Polled Hereford. These cattle were imported just at a time when they were very badly needed, and joined with homed cows they are producing a lower-set, finer-boned, shorter animal, which is a good thrifty beast, and one which is fattening quicker than the old-fashioned cattle, but if the New Zealand ports had been open to cattle from England and Scotland they would have given the breeders of Polled Herefords and Shorthorns a far harder fight than they have to date. Stud grooms in Australia repeatedly remark how much easier it is to feed a calf by an imported bull than one which has only an infusion of imported blood or is only the grandson of an imported sire, which only goes to show how very necessary an opportunity New Zealand has missed in this respect —with Australia, only a short distance away, in a position to buy her bulls had they been of the class we wanted.

Breeders in New Zealand have been importing British-bred Southdowns and other English sheep, and consequently have gained an excellent market in Australia, not only for rams, but for ewes, and at the same time have improved their fat lambs. This also could have been done in the beef cattle business, but if one looked all over New Zealand to-day for a good sire of the early-maturing type, unless imported one would have a very hard job to find a bull. Unfortunately, owing to worm nodules, we are unable to send cattle into New Zealand—in fact, cattle which have landed on Australian soil from overseas are not allowed into the Dominion—otherwise there would have been quite a number of bulls going to New Zealand to head the studs of those breeders who came over to see our Royal Show. As we do not appear to be doing anything in the way of research work with regard to worm nodules in Australia, we have only ourselves to blame for this. It seems a pity that, with a little more commonsense used, methods could be adopted which would be of great benefit to all the different stock-breeding countries of Great. Britain and her Dominions.