§ MR. JUSTIN M'CARTHYasked the Vice President of the Council, If he has received official information in confirmation of a statement attributed to the Earl of Kimberley that foot-and-mouth disease had broken out in two counties in Ireland?
§ MR. MUNDELLASir, I have seen the report in The Times this morning of the statement made by the Earl of Kimberley in "another place," and from inquiries I have made I find that it is entirely inaccurate, the noble Earl having been misreported. What he said was that foot-and-mouth disease had broken out in two counties in England. I am glad to say that there really is no foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland; in fact, for months past Ireland has been entirely free. Perhaps I may be allowed, in order to remove some possible misapprehension, to give some details with reference to the outbreak in Lancashire. I stated the other day that there had been 35 outbreaks in that county this month, against 65 in the month of May, I have now in my possession a Report from the Veterinary Department showing the state of things in Lancashire at this moment, giving the number of outbreaks in each district, and the number of animals affected. In the Accrington district, there has been one outbreak, affecting three animals; 28 outbreaks in the lower Blackburn district, affecting 346 animals; 11 outbreaks in Clitheroe, affecting 44 animals; and one outbreak in Great Harwood, affecting one animal. The total outbreaks are 41, and the total number of animals affected 394. It will be seen that there does not exist the alarming state of things which has been represented.
MR. J. COWENasked if it would be possible, in the statements with respect to the outbreak of the disease, to show the number of cattle that were affected? He knew a case in the North of England where considerable alarm was caused by an outbreak in which only a single animal was affected.
§ MR. MUNDELLASir, an outbreak sometimes runs through the herd, and at other times affects only one, two, or three animals. The Department has to wait till the outbreak has passed before they can state the number of animals which are affected.