1086 



FOOT-AND-MOUTH DlSEASE. 



[Mar., 



the balance between killing and rearing is about even. Clearly, 

 if " stores " were admitted, the farmer's incentive to rear would 

 be checked. Calves would go to the butcher in ever increasing 

 numbers and the result would be that, not only the Nation's 

 home-grown meat, but the national milk supply would gravely 

 be endangered. 



Further, there is no reason to believe that imported stores 

 would be cheap. Shipping companies are unable to quote freight 

 rates and the old cattle-fittings on certain ships, removed during 

 the War, have never been restored. The price of home killed 

 beef would not necessarily be reduced to the consumer by the 

 import of " stores," for it is ruled by the price of foreign beef, 

 and no farmer can increase his " stores " beyond the capacity 

 of his yards, his grass and his arable areas. It cannot be 

 pointed out too clearly that the farmer employs " stores " in 

 order to make the best use of his grass or roots ; the increase 

 in the amount of meat that would result from a greater 

 abundance of " stores " would not be great, because the. 

 number a farmer can feed is limited by the grass or roots he 

 has been able to grow. 



It is clear from the evidence before the Ministry, which has 

 submitted the whole question to searching scrutiny, that the 

 importation of foreign " stores," quite apart from the grave risks 

 that would be incurred, would do nothing to help and much to 

 discourage ninety-five per cent, of the farmers in these Islands, 

 while failing to reduce the ultimate price of beef to the public. 

 At the present moment no effective arguments have been adduced 

 to destroy or even to impair the value of these considerations. 

 ****** 



Of late there have been certain criticisms of the policy 

 adopted by the Ministry to stamp out Foot-and-Mouth Disease — 



Foot-and-Mouth a policy that has P revailed with g ratif y in g 

 Disease • The success wr more than twenty years. 



Ministry's Policy. Pe ° ple have been asking wb ? T ' in view of 

 J J * the cost of compensation, isolation and 



cure should not be attempted. Investigation of the facts and 



figures shows that compensation over twenty years has averaged 



d£ll,000 a year, and that if it be regarded as insurance on the 



country's live stock, which is valued at three hundred million 



pounds, the premium works out at 0.8d. per £100 per annum. 



There is no reason to doubt that, if it were possible to do so, 



every country in Europe would adopt the same policy as our 



own, but the extent of Continental outbreaks forbids. For 



