The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-31 00:00:00

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE.

In connection with this subject., the following has
been sent to The Times I.a. publication :- -
. .

A few remarku on the Report of the Veterinary Department
of the Privy Council, recently laid.befurc. farliament, may
po.sibly be not inopportune, more espeClally BA aeveral
theta are therein elicited which totally diaprove popular ideaa
on the subject of cattle and cattle diseases.

Among other things it Is conclusively proved that the
periodical outbreaks of toot and mouth di.aase, which Le
now so prevalent in many parts Of this country, cannot be
traced to our importations of foreign ottie, but must either
be of spontaneous origin, or be •ue to the store stock re-
ceived from Ireland, in which country that disease largely
prevails. As a proof that loot and mouth disease has not
been caused by foreign animals, we gather from the Report
that, before the abrogation of the laws which prohibited
any importation of cattle from abroad, which occurred in
1042, this country 'suffered very severely from that unease.
SuMequent to that year, note iihstauding that the number
of animals received from abroad increased annually very
largely, yet the outbreaks of the disease gradually declined.
Again, although the number of Dutch cattle. nicht tog snitch
cows, landed at Harwich last year, numbered upwards of
21,000, besides 140,000 sheep, yet during the whole of the
year not a single case either of foot ant lll,Outh disease or of
pleuropneumonla occurred in the parishes of Ilarwich or
Dovercourt, notwithstanding that, as It is stated, there Is
scarcely a (arm, r In Dovercourt parish who has not taken
Dutch cattle in to keep.
- -

The Report, therefore, states, From all the evidence
which has been obtained it does not appear to be proved that
the foot and mouth disease generally, or the present out-
break In particular, can be traced to a foreign origin."
Alluding to sheep-pox, the Report states that at a single
case of that disease occurred among our home stock during
the twat tear in connexion with that subjcct it ndiat be
borne in mind that very large numbers of forehn sheep
were purchased in the Metropolitan Cattle maiket, and
taken alive thence inland, • course wilt .11 resulted
in very great advantages to the population of the
manufacturing and mining dbitsicts, many of the poorer
classes of whom, had it been enacted that all foreign
animals must be slaughtered at the p rt of lenitive would
have been aimed debarred from purchasing fresh meat.
owing to the high price of home-grown beef and mutton. As
It may not be generally known how largely dens wield this
country is on foreign cattle for It. supply 14 animal food, a
few statistics may be usefully extracted from vie Govern-
ment Report. According to the ofticial returns, the total
numbers of horned cattle brought Into the ;Metropolitan
Cattle-market during the last for years have ranged
from 268,371 in 1871, to 394,524 in 1859. Of the latter
number no less than 151,700 were imported from abroad,
being more than 51 per cent the moire supply of cattle
consumed le the metropolis and adjacent districts. Those
figures, however, do not fairly represent the proport-di of
foreign cattle, for It must be retneuthered that of the 25,000
Dutch cattle which were landed during the past year at Har-
wich, by far the largest proportion. consisted of young store
stock, which are purchased by mariers and farmers, and,
when fat, are consigned for sale at the !Metropolitan' Cattle
Market, ite and from the far; of their coming from English
farms arc classed in the return. as English cattle.

To give some idea of the magnitude IA our importations
it may be stat, d the entire supplies—cattle, sheep, and swine
—received from abroad during tie past year amounted to the
enormous total of 1,2,)0,116, or more WWI a million and a
quarter of animals
Had the demands of those who advocate Indiscriminate
slaughter of all foreign cattle at the port of lauding oeo atom.
plied with it is certain that those numbers must have been
very greatly reduced, as has been very conclusively proved by
the fact that in the first four months dtuing which compulsory
slaughter at Deptford waa enforced, our Imports .1 cattle
were reduced no less than 10 per cent., which reduction was
caused almost entirely by the small number of .German
cattle (those being the principal cattle received at the water-
side market) consigned to this country; in fact, at times
there was almost an entire cessation of shipment of German
cattle to Londson.

Of sheep, on the other hand, of which compulsory slaughter
at Deptford was not enforced, we received during the same
period 280,949 against 183,417 lu the corresponding period
last year. . . . . .

Another result of Immediate slaughter at the port of
landing would, of course, be a cessation of any importations
of store stock, which would be followed by au immediate rise
In the present unprecedented prices now paid for stores,
thereby entailing the necessity either of an employment by
the grazier. or farmer of much more capital In his foulness,
or compelling him to graze • smaller number of animals
than formerly.

It lit•rtunate that the Government is now fully alive to
the abso'..ite necessity of placing as few restrictions as pos-
sible on t ne foreign cattle trade, and it is to be hoped that at
the earl dst moment consistent with absolute safety the
recent Order in Council referring to Schleswig.lioNtein will
be rescinded. Ihe country may rest perfectly satisfied that,
owing to the vigilance exercised by the Government and its
agents. tl ...re is not the least cause to fear any importation
of disease from abroad ill fact, it Is considered M cm-
peteot authorities that many of the regulations are of far too
stringent a character, and might be relaxed a ithont the least
danger.
. . .

-Trill's statements be correct, which were recently made
during the discussion on Australian preserved meats, to.,
at the meeting of the British Association at Brighton, it
will be in vain to hope for any large increase in the eon-
semption of some varieties of those meat.; every effort,
therefore, should be made, not only to encourage importa-
tion from abroad, but also, which is of still greater import-
ance, to develop more fully the cattle-producing power of
this country.

--
In conclusion, I would recommend to the attention of every
British agricul,urist as deserving of the moat serious con-
sideration the very able article in The Times of this morning,
In which exceedingly cogent reasons are eddum.d to show
that it must prove more remunerative each succeeding year
to breed cattle and sheep than to grow corm—i am, dm.,
London, E.C., Aug. 23. SECEXIe.