KILLING OF RAMS

Wairarapa Daily Times, 18 September 1934, Page 5

KILLING OF RAMS

FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

FARMERS’ UNION VIEW,

The sale of rams for consumption was condemned strongly by members of the Wairarapa Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union at their meeting yesterday. The Provincial Secretary (Mr James Watson) said the slaughtering regulations as they stood did not prohibit the slaughtering of male animals, although '"Tie was informed that at Wanganui recently the inspector had condemned four pigs solely on the ground that they were boars. Mr J. C. Cooper said that at-freezing works aged rams were slaughtered in order to be boiled down. He moved that the regulations should be amended to provide that no rams of 2-tooth age or upwards should be killed for human consumption. Old rams, he considered, were not fit for human consumption. They were only fit for dogs’ meat. If rams were sold as wether mutton, a gross fraud would be perpetrated on the consuming public. When it was proposed to include m the motion bulls over twelve months if old and boars over three months old, Mr 11. Daysli pointed out that if inspection were insisted upon in all cases, a farmer would bo deprived of the right he had at present of killing and selling up to six pigs. He urged that the door should not be closed on this practice. Mr C. C. Jackson thought that as producers they should protest strongly against the sale of rams for consumption. Mr H. Bennett said that, according to the figures given by the Mayor of Masterton, out of 305 rams slaughtered, 267 were passed as fit for human consumption. He could only congratulate (he people of Wellington on their teeth, and thought farmers should clear themselves of any responsibility for such a Mr D. McGregor said it was well understood that farmers sold their rams to freezing works, but not for human consumption. Mr Alex. Ross said he had been informed that the meat of slaughtered rams had been sold in Wellington, not as wether mutton, but just as mutton. After some further discussion, it was decided to urge that the abattoir slaughtering regulations be amended to W provide that no ram over 2-tooth age .Jf should be slaughtered for human consumption.