§ Sir J. Langford-Holtasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the percentage drop in damage to hides due to warble fly; and to what extent this reduction is due to the increased use of systemic dressing or to other natural causes.
§ Mr. John MackieFigures obtained from auction returns provided by the leather trade show that the percentage of ox and heifer warbled hides fell from 16 per cent. in 1965 to 9 per cent. in 1966. The percentage of cow and bull warbled hides remained the same, namely, 5 per cent. These percentages should be regarded as minimum figures, as some apparently clear hides reveal evidence of warble infestation during processing.
The use of systemic dressings in this country is only one of several factors which have helped this reduction. Other reasons for the improvement include restrictions imposed by the Eire Government, which have greatly reduced the number of warble infested animals imported from that country; conditions unfavourable to the warble fly in 1966; and changes in methods of husbandry for the fattening of cattle and the increasing tendency to slaughter cattle at an earlier age, which have meant that fewer of the animals slaughtered have been exposed to infestation with warbles.