QUARANTINE OF LIVE STOCK.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1462, 10 June 1912, Page 8

QUARANTINE OF LIVE STOCK.

RELAXATION OP REGIM.ATIONS BEING CONSIDERED. From time to time complaints have been made as to the quarantine regulations imposed on imported slock, ami a reference to this matter was made by the Minister for Agriculture during a speech at; Duacdin hist week. The Minister said that the enforcement of quarantine regulations was an absolute necessity in a country such as this, which was by comparison with older countries very flee from the ■ prevalence of serious disease, and no risk must be taken in the direction of relaxing our quarantine system. At tho same time it wa.s realised by the Department that in some respects these regulations might be amended in such a way as to enable purebred stock, including dairy cattle, to be .introduced into the j country at less personal expense to tho I importer. It was felt that tlio more good class purebred stock that we could bring in tho better it would bo both for pastoralists and the general community, and the whole question of how best to reduce tho. expense cf this to importers while at tho same time securely safeguarding ourselves age.inst the introduction of disease was now receiving careful consideration. Passing on to the State herds Mr. Mac-, kenzie related how, through Messrs. Clifton, Reakes, and Cuddie. a valuable Hulstein herd had been built up. li'he next stage, ho said,. was to breed from these high milk-record animals and to lot out the bulls to associations which would give a guarantee for their health and proper treatment. They would be given out not into wealthy districts, but whore- settlement v;as going on and the people were not perhaps too well off. The Department was also building up an Ayrshire herd at Mouniahaki, and they had gone in for Shorthorns and Jerseys. The animals disposed of from the experiment farms would take with them an absolutely accurate account of their performances and not a pedigree alone. Reference was also made to dhe. handling of milk. There was, said the' Prime Minister, still an immense field for instruction work of this kind. More supervision of the conditions under which milk is produced was urgently required. Although a good dca| had already been accomplished, no one could estimate the loss that was still going on through the careless treatment of milk on some of the farms in every district. The only remedy available seemed to lie in patiently and candidly pointing, cut the need for bettor methods. The Department was considering the question of appointing more instructors to work among the farmers and advise and assist them in adopting right methods in collecting and handling milk, and, above all, in taking the necessary steps to ensure that milking machines are kept in a proper state of cleanliness, and that all other necessary steps are taken to ensure that the milk is kept free from contamination. '