STUD STOCK IMPORTS

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 17 June 1933, Page 7

STUD STOCK IMPORTS

; ' -t ABOLITION OF EMBARGO A. AND P. PRESIDENT’S PLEA. IMPORTANCE OF PUREST BREEDING. The necessity for the early abolition of .the embargo against the import ation of stud stock from Gerat Britain was urged by Mr S. Bowman in his presidential address to the annual meeting of the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society. The speaker stressed the value of pure stock and also the inability of the Dominion to maintain high standards of quality unless the right type of animal were bred and; w hen similar bodies to their own were occupying themselves with the existing depression and the uncertainty of the pastoral outlook | generally, he made no apology what- j ever for- introducing a subject which he considered to he peculiarly within the- sohere of agricultural and pastoral societies. It concerned the breeding and development of the live stock resources of the Dominion, and as an organisation formed primarily for the purpose of encouraging better breeding i„ all classes of stock, he thought the Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Society should face the position which had'arisen in the sfud flocks and .herds of this country. It was difficult, to avoid the conclusion that what New Zealand needed was new blood in almost every department of stock breeding. and such new blood, was denied stock breeders as lons as the embargo against the importation of live stock continued. While he did not suggest that the portion with regard to foot-and-mouth disease in Great Britain was not serious, he was convinced that it was not sufficiently serious to prevent the introduction into New Zealand of the fresh strains which onlv the British breeder can supply. Ad-, mittedlv if foot-and-mouth disease] ever found its- way into New Zealand j it would make a clean sweep of the country, but the same thing applied to Australia, South Africa. Canada and the Argentine, vet all these countries were making the most of the opportunities that were afforded of improving their strains ibv purchases from the best flocks and' herds in the Old Country. New Zealand alone stood aloof and refused to take delivery of the stock which British stu dim asters were nreoared to offer. ONLY BEST GOOD ENOUGH. “There can he no doubt,” ho said, “that in these days of keen competition on the Home markets only the best will do, and the best in produce cannot be produced without the best in stock. New Zealand, in her short history, has risen to a. high position among stock-breeding ; countries, but her inland resources are such that she cannot survive indefinitely without the impetus of new blood in both sheep and cattle. And vet she is doomed to carry on with what shf* lias oil the risk of‘ infection through the im-1 portation of stock from countries affected bv foot-and-mouth disease. The | British Empire farmers who visited i New Zealand two or three years ago were greatly struck by the live stock , resources of the Dominion, hut they | were .impelled to remark upon the need ] for new blood. The Governor-General i (liord Bledisloel >ms frequently drawn ] attention to the ideal conditions which obtain in this, country for the breeding | of purebred stock, and' he has. stated . on occasions that there are in New Zealand .stock . bred from the best British strains which have, equalled and surpassed, the strains in which “ they had their beginnings. But he has, also suggested that in certain diree-j t/ions breeding jo New Zealand is fall-1 sne a wav solely because of +be lack of j new blood. This is a condition of af- j fairs wbi"b Is”obvious eiynyrh.to those] connected with stock-breeding and tbe 1 remodv is enunjlv obvious; The onlv. hindrance is th° embargo which iol hpi'og maintained sol-el v bv farm of a. weight. of pnblir* orfipion wbieb an-] bn:s. pof -rot. realised the extout to .which, breeders at, Home have set. them selves out to take. everv nosn’Wo. ivpeq-ntion . against infection through pvnorts from Great Britain.

PRECAUTIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN There was a quarantine system in England, he said, which had been described bv the severest critics as absolutely infection .proof. In fact, in the opinion of one veterinary in London at .the present time, there was a lot of needless expense involved, hut he admitted that it was just as well to be that way if it would convince Dominion and oversea buyers generally that thev were taking no risk at all. In the first place, whenever foot-and-mouth disease was reported in a district a' ring was thrown round' the whole area for a radius of approximately five miles. All infected stock

Aits ruthlessly destroyed, ana not a. hoof from that five-mile radius was accepted for export. The stock that were accepted for shipment must undergo quarantine treatment foi a period of 30 days. The disease took 21 days to manifest itself, so that if it was. latent in any of the stock it must come to light before removal from quarantine. Should the development of the scourge be delayed, ho.wver, there was still the period on shipboard for it to appear. Added to this might be mentioned the strict quarantine in New' Zealand waters before stock might be landed. The quarantine regulations had been made unusually stiff , in England, and it was obvious from the Ministry of Agricul- ; ture reports and the severity of the ! supervision exercised that they were ' enforced to the last letter. The sever- | est penalties were imposed for any ofj fence against the regulations, and . nothing in the way of interference With the execution of the extreme duties of aua.rantine officers was permitted. The result was a. sv-stem of safeguards and precautions which had been accented as sufficiently infectionproof bv South America, South Africa, Australia and Canada. “I am of the opinion,” said Mr Bowman, “that if more were known in New Zealand concerning the completeness and thoroughness of the precautions taken there would be much less opposition to the proposal that has been made from time to time for the abolition of existing restrictions. Lord Bledisloe complained on a recent visit to Dunedin that, the biggest obstacle to the importation of livestock from overseas was ill-informed opinion, and bo anr>otiled to the Press to do what lay in its power to offset the evil effects of such opinion by making known the true position. The same difficulty was experienced in South Africa- for a long time, but the interchange of visits between British and South African farmers soon cleared the air and the result is that to-day almost every issue of the best livestock journals- at Home records the forwarding of further shipments of -sheep and cattle to South Africa. CONSTANT NEW SUPPLIES.

“South America, w'ith the greatest | beef herds in the world, is still anxious to get the best that Great Britain can offer, and her stud masters realise that without the constant infusion of new blood the quality of her beef must soon decline. In a country like New Zealand it is becomiug increasingly difficult to secure new strains. Romney, Southdown, Leicester and Ryeland breeders all complain from time to time that the scope of selection is becoming increasingly limited, and the same applies to cattle and- houses. A certain standard of excellence has •been achieved, but its ultimate improvement 'is barred by the limitations which arc imposed by the restrictions now iii force. The point I would like l to make is that it is all to the advantage of New' Zealand to facilitate the breeding of the very finest stock. ( “The- raising of the best sheep and cattle means the production of the best mutton, lamb, wool and dairy produce, and an all-round increase in volume of production, and it is by these means alone that New' Zealand can hope to compete on even terms with her overseas rivals. “But there was another aspect to the- question which was equally worthy of consideration. New Zealand stockbreeders, the majority of whose produce was absorbed on British markets, owed something to the Old Country, and this debt could in some measure be discharged to mutual advantage by the resumption of trade in purebred stock. This point was raised with considerable force at the last annual meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, and it was decided then that special endeavours should be made to induce the overseas Dominions to make fuller use of the British market for replenishing thensupplies of stock. It was stated by a largo number of speakers, many of them of special repute, and more than one of them members of the party which visited this country recently, that the Dominion owed as much to England, and. in any case, even if thev were under no obligation, they stood to lose nothing by a. resumption of this particular kind of trade relation. He was quite aware that there might he a difference of opinion among .some of them on this question, but he •suggested that the matter was one which w-as wort-hv of the very close-si consideration with everv regard to the position which obtained at Home at present, which made it impossible for fi, disease that seemed peculiarlv English to he transported- overseas per medium of purebred stock. SUPPORTING OPINION.

Mr James Begg said the meeting owed it to the president to discuss the subject of his address very thoroughly, it was a courageous thing for him to take the stand he had taken. He personallv agreed w'ith the 'President, though lie knew there w'ere those who did not accept that view. He was convinced that more could he made of the facilities afforded, and remarked how the Government had been advised bv experts to sanction tbe importation of stud stock under strict quarantine conditions. The advice had not been accepted, but he thought it should have been. He knew' there w r as a deeprooted suspicion of importing stock on account of foot-amVmouth disease, but lie was convinced that there was a swing in the opposite direction. Mr Joseph Moslev said that in view of the nossibilitv of flic development of the chilled beef trade it was necessary that fresh blood of the best kind should bo introduced into New Zealand. Breed societies might not agree on the subject, but it scorner certain now that little risk of infection existed in view of the quarantine regulations.

Mr W. O. McTCel.lav said that- lie was certain that opinions were changing with regard to the subiect raised by Mr Bowman. and he (suggested concen-t-rat inn on New Zealand onarantine facilities, which were not in the host intercuts of ist.ool< or imnortd'S. There were innumerable islands which could to used for the purpose. and lie thought that the onarantine idea should be stressed incren*'nglv by such bodies as their own. Me had much uleasnre in eomnlimentin g the pres-i----dent on the courage and character of h's uemarlvs on a subject which was of +ho first importance. Mr Bowman said lie was- gratified to find .such vpadv aecentanee of the views lie li«(l expressed, and he sin-ce-el v hone' l the tone would he soon when Vew- Zealand’s doors would he opened to the host stock available.