PIG DISEASES

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20494, 10 May 1938, Page 17 (Supplement)

PIG DISEASES

Can They Be Reduced ? Prevention Only Effective Means (Contributed by Mr. W. A. Phillips, Chairman of Directors N.Z. Cooperative Pig Marketing Association.) More so with pigs than any other kind of animal, disease levies a colossal toll from the annual returns of the producer. Provision to spread this loss over all pigs slaughtered is made by payment of an insurance charge, by compensation payable by the State subsidy at a fixed rate, and by a reduced payment being made on those carcases condemned. It -will, therefore, be seen that although the individual with pigs condemned may not suffer the whole loss which occurs, in actual fact producers must provide the whole of the cost involved, insurance being payable by him directly, State subsidy indirectly through taxation, and reduced value to the extent of the balance of the loss by the individual with pigs which are condemned. WHAT IS LOSS IN £ S. D.? This cost to the industry is no less than £IOO,OOO annually. To the individual producing from 50 to 75 pigs each year his cost is at least £5, which, if capitalised, would provide interest on no less than £IOO. Analysing the diseases responsible for this loss the following list shows their order of importance:—Tuberculosis, pleurisy, peritonitis, septic wounds, faulty castration, arthritis, nephritis, skin diseases, necrosis. With the exception of tuberculosis, all of the troubles referred to can be prevented by better management and provision of improved housing, feeding, shelters, and runs, in accordance with the educational propaganda disseminated by the Pig Industry Council through its district officers. SOURCE OF TUBERCULOSIS Tuberculosis, however, accounts for well over 50 per cent, of the loss and although in the past it has been considered that there was no effective means of combating it, from lessons learned by our most advanced competitors in the production of pork, namely Denmark, we are aware that for a lengthy period it has been an offence to feed other than pasteurised milk to pigs. This is for the particular reason that it is recognised that infection by tuberculosis is in at least 90 per cent, of instances through the consumption of ; milk affected by the tuberculosis germ. 4 Fortunately for the Danish farmer he was considerably assisted i in the pasteurisation of the raw milk product, due to the fact that a separation and treatment of the milk was through centralised factories at which point pasteurisation could be effected at a reasonable cost. The immediate result of this treatment was the substantial reduction in the number of pigs affected by tuberculosis. We, in New Zealand, for a considerable time past, have realised that with the increasing percentage of pigs affected by tuberculosis, it would be ultimately necessary for some similar action. Tremendous difficulties prevented this, however, owing to the practice of home separation, and it was not until recent experiments proved the possibility of sterilisation of skim milk on the farm that any success rewarded the efforts being made. PASTEURISATION ON FARM NOW PRACTICABLE A combination water heater-skim-milk pasteuriser which has been designed by Speedway Steam Products Ltd. has come through all of the necessary pasteurisation tests more than satisfactorily and in consequence there will now be the facilities available to the producer who wishes to reduce and ultimately eliminate tuberculosis from his pig herd. Analysis of supply shows generally that where tuberculosis is present in the pig herd a high percentage of heads are condemned, whilst the percentage of carcases totally condemned fluctuates. this being to a certain extent controlled by management and constitutional variation in the stock. PROFITABLE INVESTMENT Summarising the position, it is obvious that every dairyfarmer with tuberculosis in his pig herd would make a handsome profit on his investment in the purchase of this water-heater-skim-milk pasteuriser by the saving of losses, this apart from the fact that he also has a machine which supplies all of the requirements under the dairy regulations in connection with plant sterilisation. For the farmer who has been fortunate enough to escape losses from tuberculosis in his pig herd in the past, the plant referred to must also appeal as an insurance and an investment.