POINTS OF VIEW

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3468, 19 May 1934, Page 7

POINTS OF VIEW

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE. Sir, —It is high time that this nonsense regarding- foot and mouth disease was dropped. We have been told by the Veterinary branch of the Department of Agriculture that the risk is reduced to a minimum. Therefore it is high time the Government lifted the embargo. Your correspondent of May 9, Mr J. I. Kent, seems to think we can breed just as good stock here, and he says that half the breed goes down the throat. I beg Ito differ, but will admit that feeding will bring an animal out, providing the animal is there to bring out; by feeding an inferior animal one would be only wasting time and money. Breed the animal first, then think about feeding. According to Mr Kent and others, stud breeders desiring fresh blood are only throwing their money away, but they are wide awake to facts, and they know that if they wish to improve their studs they must go to the fountain head for fresh blood. Where New Zealand has only been breeding for a few years, Britain has been breeding for hundreds of years. Farmers the world over realise this; that is why one hears Britain spoken of as the stud stock farm of the world. I would like to ask Mr Kent, and ethers who are opposed to the lifting of the embargo, Who stands to be the biggest loser, the man who imports or they ? The breeder who imports stock under the present conditions is rendering a service to the farming community of this country, and they stand to benefit through the enterprising breeder. The Government nas put a great obstacle in the way of those breeders wishing to improve their studs, as the cost of importing stock from Britain under the present conditions is almost prohibitive. We hear people say, “We don’t need fresh blood”; but it is' no use trying to hide the facts. We do need fresh blood, and we need it sadly. A very good indication of what fresh blood will do in this country was proved at our last Royal Show, when lambs sired by an imported ram won highest awards. Mr Kent tells us how many animals haye been slaughtered up to date; but he does not tell us that the majority of those were healthy animals that were slaughtered owing to having been in contact with diseased animals. Since Britain brought in the slaughter, policy, all animals that are or have been in contact with diseased animals are slaughtered, whereas there may be only one or two out of the lot* affected. One couldn’t expect Britain to stamp the disease out in five minutes; she is too near the Continent, where little or no notice is taken of the disease at all; but here in New Zealand we are better situated to cope with anything .like that. There is but little chance of the disease reaching this country through importing live stock, owing to the precautions taken in the London quarantine station, where all animals have to satisfy the authorities before leaving. The germ won’t live on an animal more than 12 days, the quarantine period in London is 14 days; the voyage out here lasts five weeks; this alone ought to be sufficient. Why is it that Australia and Canada is not over-run with the disease? They have been importing freely for some time now; yet New Zealand won’t follow their example. Australia and Canada are advancing, and we are standingstill. No, Sir! It is safer to import now than it ever was, and my opinion is that the embargo should be lifted—the sooner the better to enable New Zealand breeders to follow Australian breeders’ lead.—l am, etc., G. FAWKES. Bulls.