Jim.". 1921. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



265 



Accredited Flerds 



Abstract of Address by Dr. Frederrick Torrance, 

 Veterinary Director General. Ottawa. 



Delivered liefore the Eastern Otitario Brancli oT the 



C.S.T.A.) 



Bovine Tiilieiculosis is i>f more .significance to 

 Ininianity than is generally realized. Its existence is 

 of vast importance from the following points of view: — 



1st. Lessening of the food supply. In the year end- 

 ing April 30, 1920, Canada lost 4.8:}() cattle and SJAS 

 swine whose carcases were tanked as too liadly affect- 

 ed by this disease to be of any value except for grease 

 and fertilizer. In addition there were also lost 34,805 

 portions of beef carcases and 794,578 portions of pork 

 carcases. These amounts were lost from the abattoirs 

 undei- federal inspection alone, and a further unUnown 

 amount was lost at private slaughter-houses. 



2nd. Heavy losses occur on farms in deaths from 

 tuberculosis, in sterility, emaciation, and lack of milk 

 [iroduction. The supply of meat food is definitely 

 lessened on account of this disease. 



3rd. The loss of human life. Bovine tuberculosis is 

 transferable to human beings, ehieflj' through the 

 medium of milk from tuberculous cows. As milk is the 

 natural food of young children, it is natural to expect 

 that this infection would appear most frequently among 

 children, and this is the ease. Investigators tell us that 

 a large proportion (at least 25 per cent) of tuberculosis 

 found in children under the age of five years, is of the 

 bovine type, in other words, has been received from 

 COM' 's "milk. 



Some medical experts claim tliat mucii of the tuber- 

 culosis of adults is derived from infection received in 

 early years from bovine sources and has Iain dormant 

 in the system until some adverse influence, such as ex- 

 posure, fatigue, or insufficient food has lowered the 

 vitality and permitted the infection to develop. Veter- 

 inarians have realized these facts for many years and 

 have endeavoured by persistent effort to obtain the co- 

 operation and support of the public in an effort to 

 lessen the extent of bovine tuberculosis. Indifference 

 and lack of information have prevented these efforts 

 from bearing fruit until ciimparatively recently, when 

 the problem of attacking bovine tidjerculosis has crys- 

 tallized itself into certain definite chaiuiels, ujjon which 

 the energies of the veterinary profession are now lar- 

 gely directed. 



One of these is the accredited herd system, based on 

 an idea first promulgated in the Interiuitional Bovine 

 Tuberculosis Commission. It is founded on the idea 

 that if our pure bred herds could be cleaned up it wou\(:I 

 not only furnish an object lesson to all stock owners 

 in the country, but would also prevent the dissemina- 

 tion of disease which has been going on for many years 

 through the medium of pure bred animals purchased 

 for the improvement of stock. Pure bred bulls, when 

 derived from diseased herds, have been the means of 

 disseminating tuberculosis among herds hitherto heal- 

 thy and have carried the disease into localities where 

 previously it was unknown. In order to eb^an up these 

 herds it was necessary to secure the co-operation and 

 hearty goodwill of the breeders. This was finally 

 obtained at a .joint meeting of representatives of the 

 various breeders and of the United States Live Stock 



Sanitary Association, and rules were drawn up for the 

 so-called accredited herds. These were adopted in 1917 

 and the United States Government immediately ac- 

 cepted them and placed the accredited herd system in 

 operation. 



The plan is briefly as follows : The owner of a pure 

 bred herd, who applies for Government assistance, in 

 order to place his herd on the accredited list, is imme- 

 diately visited by the veterinary officials entrusted 

 with this work. His herd is sidnnitted to a careftd 

 test. Animals which react are either destroyed or 

 placed in a separate herd to be maintained in isolation 

 and under strict rules. These isolated herds are known 

 generally as Bang herds, from the fact that Professor 

 Bang, of Copenhagen, was the first to advocate this 

 method of dealing with infected herds. When an 

 owner decides to have his diseased cattle slaughtered, 

 rather than i)laee them in a Bang herd, this is always 

 done under the supervision of a veterinary inspector, 

 who decides what portion, if any, of the carcase is to be 

 used as beef. The owner receives compensation up to a 

 certain amount, based upon the valuation of the 

 animals. 



In the United States this compensation is paid partly 

 by the Federal Government and partly by the State, 

 while in Canada it is paid entirely by the Federal Gov- 

 ernment. Compen.sation never amounts to the full 

 value of the aninuil, so that in cleaning up a herd there 

 is always a certain loss which falls upon the owner, 

 but is made up to him by the increased value of the 

 healthy herd when it is fully accredited. This has 

 been estimated at 20 to 25 per cent, and is one of the 

 large inducements for a breeder to have his herd accre- 

 dited. 



The progress of the work has been extraordinarily 

 rapid, so great in fact that the resources of the Govern- 

 ments, both of the United States and Canada, have been 

 taxed to the limit to find the men and money necessary 

 for carrying it on. In the TTnited States, where the 

 .system has already been in operation for over three 

 years, they have more than 4,000 fully accredited herds, 

 that is herds which have i)assed two annual or three 

 semi-annual tests without a reactor being found, and 

 they also have ui)wards of 20.000 other herds which 

 have been once tested without a reactor. 



In Canada, where the work began a little over one 

 year ago. we have already 379 owners of herds who 

 have applied for the test, upwards of 12.000 cattle have 

 been tested, and there has been paid out in compen.sa- 

 tion over $175,000. An encouraging feature of the 

 work is that Mhile the initial cost of removing the 

 diseased animals from a herd and paying compensa- 

 tion for them is often very heavy, subsequent tests 

 usually reveal comparatively few diseased animals. 

 The initial co.st is, therefore, by far the heaviest and 

 if sufficient mone,y can be obtained for carrying on the 

 work, a few years shoidd eiuible us to pa.ss the peak of 

 the expense, aiul subsequent years will reveal a very 

 substantial savintr. 



