View report page

303 [1911
slaughtered two bovine animals weekly, which circumstance will account for nearly half
the lessened number in the total of bovines slaughtered.
The other instance in which the entire carcase and organs were surrendered for
destruction was that of a well nourished ox in which the disease was found to be of a
generalised nature. The butcher, fortunately for himself, had previously insured the animal
against such risk, and consequently was compensated, although there was a commercial loss
of £20 or more. The third instance was a localised affection of the liver and lungs, which
necessitated only their destruction.
There were four instances in which a sheep was found dead or in a moribund condition,
which resulted in the surrender of the carcases and organs for destruction.
One sheep was found to be in such an emaciated condition as to be unsound, and
was surrendered for destruction. It is strong proof of the generally good quality of the
sheep slaughtered, that only one carcase out of thirty-eight thousand was found to be of
unsound quality, the four carcases previously referred to, being in each case well
nourished, but rendered unsound through accidental circumstances
Parasitic diseases were, as usual,, responsible for the greater amount of internal
organs surrendered, the number of oxen livers destroyed through these causes being 88, or
approximately 6 per cent. of the animals slaughtered, as against 60, or about 3.5 per cent.,
in the previous year. The number of sheep livers, as will be seen from Table " A," which
follows, surrendered owing to parasitic affection were only about 3.1 per 1,000, whilst those
of the previous year approximated 10.8 per 1,000. It is thus apparent that whilst there was
a considerable decrease in the proportion of parasitic sheep livers, there was a substantial
increase in the number of diseased oxen livers, due to the presence in each case of the same
parasite, viz., " Distomum Hepaticum " This, however, is readily accounted for by the
fact that the bulk of the sheep slaughtered within the Borough are taken during the first
year of their life, whilst oxen as a rule are one year or more older when slaughtered, consequently
the effects of this disease, which are always more marked after wet grazing seasons,
such as was experienced in the year 1910, in which an abnormal number of affected sheep
livers were found, would not appear in oxen that were being then grazed as "stores" until
the year following or whenever they might be slaughtered.
Further particulars as to these and other organs surrendered in slaughterhouses
will be found in Table " A," which follows