Alarm At Bad State Of Milk Supplies

Chronicle (Levin), 1 July 1949, Page 6

Alarm At Bad State Of Milk Supplies

WELLINGTON, June 30. Immediate and strdng measures to test every dairy herd in the Dominion for the purpose of eradicating tuberculosis were urged at the annual meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society Qf New Zealand. The chairman, Mr J. S. Marshall (In-; vercargill) voiced what he said was general alarm at the bad state of milk. supplies, especially to towns and cities.. Tuberculosis should be eliminated anO clean healthy milk made availabie;,; particularly for children. Mr A. Grant (Waimate) referred to the admirable dairies he had seeh on a

reeent visxt to- Great " uritam. money was paid for milk of herd'd whioi had been tested and found free oitubereulosis. ' Mr M. E. Lyon^' (Christchurch) said he had been for some years a member of 'the central miik committee* whieli had access to all city milk supplies save that of Wellington. The case came' under his notice in one city whdre a herd of 38 was subjected to a test and more than half "went out." That was not an isplated case. At present there was difference of "bpinion as to* cora pensation for condemnation, owners of stud cattle being reluctant to aceept the standard fig.ure for. compensatioa. inspection for tuberculosis, continued Mr Lyons, was .not going forward as quickly as it should, though he knew veterinary surgeons who could be called back from retirement to help with the work. "What are we to do about it?" asked Mr Lyons. "We might take a leaf from the book of the Royal Agricultural Society of England which will not allow a beast to be shown at a RoyaJ Show of England 'uhless it has been; tested for tuberculosis. " : ; , Mr L. Field 'suggested that a farmer might be fined for having an infected. animal on his property. A fixed rate ofcompensation w;as n'eeded. • ' , -■ Mr C. E. C. Webb (Otaki) said the Town Milk Suppliers -Association had the matter in handl The issue was now mainly one of the^ price of compensation for the confihcatiOn of infected cows. The government* was offering £20 and the 'suppliers m.ssocli'htidn Wajutbd' £26. *•' The meeting reaffirmed the society 's opinion that strong. measures should be taken immediately to test all dairy herds in New Zealand' for the purpose of eradicating • tuberculosis, that the eampaign in the case of town and city milk supplies-, begin first/ that ade' ■'quate compensation be paid, and that the views of the society be c'onveyed to the appropriate .Cabinet Ministers. ■■