§ MR. LAWSON (St. Pancras, W.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether it is true that no cattle disease has been reported to exist in the Netherlands; and, if so, whether he will instruct the authorities to relax the restriction placed upon cattle and sheep coming from those ports?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD or AGRICULTURE (Mr. CHAPLIN,) Lincolnshire, SleafordThere is no disease in the Netherlands, so far as we are informed; but it prevails extensively in Germany, and at no great distance from the Netherlands frontier. As a matter of fact, animals from the Netherlands are now admitted into the interior of this country, and are not even subject to the Order to slaughter at the port of debarcation. But, in view of the danger of disease crossing the Dutch frontier in spite of the precautions of that Government, the English Inspectors at the ports, in the exercise of the duties imposed upon them by statute, detain the animals for a certain number of days at their discretion, so as to insure their being free from contagious disease, before they are allowed to pass into the interior of the country. It would not be wise or desir- 181 able, in my opinion, to relax those precautions at present.
§ MR. MUNDELLAMay I ask why, if there is no disease in the Netherlands, cattle from that country should be sent to compulsory slaughter?
§ MR. CHAPLINIt is quite true that just now the cattle in the Netherlands are free from disease, and, as far as I know, from the precautions which have been taken, they have been free from disease for a considerable period. But, on the other hand, there has been a good deal of smuggling of animals over the frontier from Germany.