FACIAL ECZEMA OUTBREAK

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4042, 2 May 1938, Page 7

FACIAL ECZEMA OUTBREAK

BUTCHERS IN A DILEMMA. MEAT CONDEMNED AS UNFIT FOR CONSUMPTION. A number of butchers in Hamilton have been hard hit by the outbreak of facial eczema in sheep. After purchasing sheep at the sales, a number have been condemned at the Horotiu abattoirs as being unfit for human consumption, with the result that they have suffered a heavy loss. One lost 10 out of 28 carcases through eczema. To overcome the difficulty, the Master Butchers' Association of Hamilton asked the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. W. Lee Martin, that the Government make arrangements which would enable the butchers to purchase their requirements from exporters, the idea.being that only carcases passed for the export trade should be procured for the local trade. By this means the supply of meat of the best quality would be maintained. The Minister replied this morning agreeing to tlie request. In the meantime the Hamilton Auctioneers’ Association have taken steps io cope with the trouble, having decided that in future all stock offered for sale for local consumption will be inspected in the yards before the sale and farmers in their own interests are to be asked to guarantee these sheep free from eczema provided they are bought for immediate slaughter. THE DAIRY HERDS. WILL COME BACK TO FULL .PROFIT.

Mr G. B. Melrose, district inspector of stock, commenting this morning on the prevailing epidemic of facial eczema among sheep and cattle, stated that an opinion prevailed that dairy stock affected would be worthless in subsequent seasons. He stated that recognised authorities gave this a positive denial, basing the statement on experience in the 1935 outbreak, when all dairy stock under investigation made a full and complete recov-

ery. The cows were dried off during the prevalence of the epidemic, but came to profit again normally at the beginning of the next dairying season, and for the whole period they were just as good producers as was the average unaffected cow and no trouble had been experienced with those particular cows since. Mr Melrose asked that publicity be given to this information, as many farmers were apt to be led astray by suggestions, published in other papers, to the contrary.