STOCK EMBARGO

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 119, 5 June 1937, Page 12

STOCK EMBARGO

-Prees Aasoolation.)

Sheep Farmers Argue Pros and Cons "A SERIOUS MATTER"

(By Telesraph-

PALMERSTON N., This Day. The pros and cons of foot and mouth diisease and the lifting of the stock> embargo were argued as the concluding discussion at the sixth annual confer,ence of sheep farmers at Massey College j yesterday. j The subject was introduced by Mr. ,H. B. Stuckey, of Hawke 's Bay, his ■ suggestion that the embargo should be ilifted bringing several " diehards" to. jtheir feet, strenuously . to oppose the •idea "I consider the matter a very serious ,one," said Mr. Stuckey. "I discover, on investigation, that it is very diffieult to find the cons in this, argument !but the pfos are all there. The cons geem to centre solely around the carrier animal. ' ' If foot and mouth disease did arrive he wondered if it would be very detrimental. Other countries had had it and were still surviving. The "carrier" was the one main . fear. Many people said fresh blood was not required in New Zealand, but that also could be argued. Tliey pointed to the country aiready having first-ciass stoek but that did not say that fresh blood was not desirable. Mr. Stuckey said the British farmer realised just as much as the Dominion farmer, the effect of the disease should ifc reach New Zealancl and so drastic export regulations had been instituted. There was a time when there Was no quarantine in England and yet the disease did not reach New Zealand. Now that there was quarantine, it was impossible for the disease to get out of the Old Country. Mr. Stuckey again emphasised the need for fresh blood if New Zealand desired to hold. its position in the . various markets. Other countries were importing fresh blood, thus stift'ening the competition and this particularly in respeet of meat. New Zealand must improve its quality at the same rate as its competitors. Those breeders who were importing commanded a great market for the progeny of that stock, the animals selling at remarkable prices, showing that the breeders wanted new blood. It had never been proved that the was a "carrier" and surely that was sufficient evidence of the safety of making iniportations. Australia was prepared to take the risk of holding New Zealand's imported stock for a pexiod without any fear of the disease. Th© prosperity of New Zealand depended on the highest quality produce and those men Who were importing were building up the welfare of the country. How could the Dominion expect England to take its produce an.d New Zealahd do nothing in return? It was a wonder breeders at Home had not made a protest before this, especially as there was no risk. Commonsense pointed to a revised view being taken of the whole matter and he appealed to those against the lifting of the embargo, tp do that. Mr. H, B. Tennent (Auckland) pointed out that the causitive germ had not been isolated and until its life history was known, it was impossible to say that there were no carriers. Foot-rot was now believed to be carried in the blood and the same might be with foot and mouth disease. New Zealaud aiready had excellent stoek; stock faT superior to that on which some of the outstanding herds of England were built up without importatiotts. EnglisH sheep were superlative in their 'own environment but that did not say they would remain the same on New Zealand 's hill tops. Jersey Island had not imported for a century and yet had built up the finest herds of the breed in the world and again without importations. Australia, on similar lines, had builfe up the outstanding Merinos of the world. AU those sheep and cattle had not gone baek for want of new blood. All live stock was what environment and the breeders' knowledge made them. New Zealand had. developed stoek suited to its conditions and every time fresh blood was introduced, the evolutionary process was thrown back. Mr. Tennent pointed to breeders who had swept the Boyal Shows without having made iniportations to any extent. Then there was the faet'tbat other countries were coming to New Zealand to buy the Dominion 's animals and the export of live stock, in the case of cattle, had increased 800 per cent. between 1931 and 1935 and 500 per cent. 'with sheep during the same years. Britain had an embargo against live stock froim all eountries where there was foot and mouth disease. Further, there had been outbreaks of the disease in other countries which had imported from Britain. If the disease eame to New Zealaud the country woul'd not be able to export live Stock as it was doing now and the export meat trade would also be affected. Britain was not likely to complain when New Zealand imported so extensively* in other commodities. The Dominion 's poliey should be to prevent importations to prevent the entry of the disease and also to promote the buiidiug up of tho Dominion 's own partieular quality in animals. Mr. J. E. Hewitt (Mangamaire) said he had been an opponent of the lifting of the embargo but was now converted. He had been assured by veterinarians and medical men that no animal could be a carrier unless the animai had first contracted the disease and a oeast that had been a victim could easily be detected. He believed English breed societies had protested against New Zealand 's attitude and political pressure brought to bear to get the embargo lifted. However, when the embargo was lifted he hoped the quarantine regulations in ]NSew Zealand itself would be striot. At Home they were

most drastic and the same should he the case in the Dominion. . Mr. J. C. Field (Gisborne) declared that the germ could be carried for seven months, according to the scientists; in one case it had persisted for a year. In France the damage had been as much as £5,000,000 a year. The poor dairy farmer in New Zealand would be reduced to a pauper in a month at that rate. Mr. Field also quoted figures showing millions spent by other countries in an endeavour to stamp out the plague. For New Zealand the xisk was not worth running; the country had a clean bill of health and the dietinction should be guarded zealously. Mr. Gordon (Taihape) pointed out that stock was still coming to New Zealand despite the risk that certain speakers had declared was present. 'He approved Mr. L. Hammond's endeavour to tighten up the regulations. The country would be infinitely eafer with them than without and there wonld be the added advantage of stock coming direct. Mr. Stuckey, in reply, said be was no less firm in his opinion despite the endeaVour to cut the ground from under his feet. HoW was it, he asked, that not" a single case of the disease after stock had left the British quarantine Stations, was on recordf Mr. Tennents There may be none recorded bnt there is a grave suspicien. Mr. Stuckey admitted that New Zealand had evolved a Bomney suited to the country 'g conditions but the same could not be said of the Southdown. The Dominion was also just as lacking in outstanding cattle. Another delegate pointed to the number of imported animals that had won the championships at the Sydney Boyal Show. He also saw no sound reason. why New" Zealand should be debarred from importing a new breed, sueh as Devon cattle which had improved the beef industry of Australia, The speaker saw a great risk in the importatiofi of garbago and even soil attached to the roots Of bttlbs from the Continent. Professor Peren intimated that he did not want a resolution whieh might connect Massey College with it, the poliey Of the College Couneil being not to take sides in the matter^