IMPORTATION OF FARM STOCK

Hokitika Guardian, 28 June 1930, Page 2

IMPORTATION OF FARM STOCK

NO RISK OF DISEASE

GOVERNOR -GEN ER AL’S • OPINION.

WELLINGTON, June 25

“I have one great amoition, that when I am leaving New Zealand five years hence the Dominion will be in a more prosperous state than it is to-day and that farmers will be more confidenty ns to the future of their industry than they Mere M’hcn 1 came,” said biis Excellency the Governor-General Lord L’edisloo, udion opening the annual conference of the Royal Agricultural Society of Neu’ Zealand this afternoon.

His Excellency was given a warm welcome M’hcn introduced by the president of the society, Mr W Perry, and "n acknowledging it, said it gave him encouragement to hope that he might enjoy the confidence of the agricultural and pastoral community during ’ns stay among them. He hoped the increased turnover in dairy produce would somewhat mitigate the effect of low prices. While the depression was world-wide there was reason to think t would be shorter lived in Nom' Zeabmd than in most countries. He noticed that some of the remits on the order paper involved consideration of Government policy, in which respect J differed from the society in England where they rigorously excluded from discussion anything that savoured of Government policy or political controversy. That did not. refer to animal diseases, which the society had made Its own province and care. It was with some hesitation, said his Execllencv, that lie touched upon another subject, but he felt it was only fair to the Royal Agricultural .Society a? England that he should do so. Whiie he believed many of theme wee anxious to obtain pedigree male stock Hiev were reluctant to allow animals to come into New Zealand from other countries and particularly Great Britain, for fear of foot and mouth disease. If they were really afraid of the risk he would not press them to take it. but Great Britain had the ; finest stock in the world of every description and had exported stock to every country in the world for the best part of,a century, and there wa*» no record of any case of foot and mouth disease being conveyed to any country in stock so exported. There was no country in the world where the restrictions on the spread of foot and mouth disease were more drastic, and with the quarantine station in London it was practically impossible for any animal suffering from disease to pass in or out of the country. He did not ask or expect farmers in New Zealand to accept those views, but he would be insincere if he did not present things as they saw them m the Old Country.

In conclusion, his Excellency expressed his readiness at any time to give the fanning community any help and advice in his power.