DAIRY COWS CONDEMNED FOR T.B.

Chronicle (Levin), 2 October 1946, Page 6

DAIRY COWS CONDEMNED FOR T.B.

-Press Association

Compensation Explained

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Oct. 1. After Mr. H. E. Blyde (Lepperton) had raised the question of compensation for farmers whoSe cows were condemned under tuberCulosis test in view of the compulsory obligation with . regard to herds supplying tbwn milk, Mr. J."E. Mcllwaine, M.R.C.V.S., assistant director of the Livestock Division of the Department of Agriculture told the first meeting of the dairy section of Federated rarmers yesterday afternoon of the reasons for the basis of compensation payable by the Goverhmeht. Mr. Blyde contended' that it was a national responsibility to see that farmers' compensation for animals des: troyed owing to tuberculosis was adequate. Although th'e maximuin value of condemned animals Was now £16 and the compensation payable was 75 per cent. sinee the amendment to the Stock Act, it had been found in practice that the value place'd on condemned animals was usually £6 or £6 10s, and only 50 per cent. of that was usually paid. It was also evident that the number of veterinary offieers available for T.B. testing was inadequate, said Mr. Blyde. It would talce a long time to get througli the herds supplying liquid milk for towns. If the scherne was later extended, with larger staffs, to apply to all dairy herds in the country, then the compensation paid should be up to 90 per cent. of market value. Mr. Mcllwaine said that T.B. testing was of great importanee from a public health point of view, to prevent the infection of miik eonsuniers with T.B. or undulant fever from infected herds. Pasteurisation lielped to' protect the public in many centres from danger of infection, but in other places raw milk was sold for liuman consumption and it was primarily for the protection of raw milk consumers that the amendment was brought down. It was still a technical question as to whether pasteurisation as adopted generally was completely safe in getting rid of tubercular bacilli from milk. In the United States T.B. had been practically eliminated from herds supplying both factories and 'consumers. Owing to the compulsion in the new uniendinent, the Departinent had. felt that compensation should be increaked to 75 per cent. of a maximuin valuation of £16. The compulsory clause applied only to registered herds for town supply. However, inspectors did not value infected animals as good beasts but rather at a nominal liguro for a beast that would have virtualiy no market value, being condemned and a danger to the rest of tlie herd and to pigs fed on skim milk. Mr. J. J. Malier (Mangaroa), president of the Town Milk Producers' Federation, said that niost of Wellington 's milk and about liaif of that supplied in Lower Hutt was pasteurised. In Makara and the Hutt Valley the incidenee of T.B. was lower than in the Manavvatu and Lower Wairarapa. But in buying replacenieiits fof he'r'ds,' "fafuiers had no guarantee that the beasts were free of disease if bouglit from an outside area... The federation had applied for fulj compensation for the first testing and id a gallon loading where cows had been T.B. tested. After Mr. G. A. Cainmock (Dannevirke) quoted a case where 80. head oi stock condemned as a result of a voluntary- test had cost, the Departmont £200 and asked what tlie fariner must have "lost, Mr. Mcllwaine said that no instruction had been given in the Department for mean and niggardly assessmets for compensation. Oue of tlie factors eonsidered was the number of iactation periods ahead of the eow. He could lioid out no.prospeets of liighcr valuations or percentages of compensation for condemned stoek.