HC Deb 13 July 1885 vol 299 cc410-3
COLONEL NOLAN

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, If swine can be compulsorily destroyed when affected with contagious disease, and if compensation can be awarded to the owners, as is the case with cattle; and, does this rule extend to Ireland?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY (MR. CHAPLIN),

in reply, said that by the Animals Order of 1884 Local Authorities had power to have infected swine slaughtered and animals in contact with diseased swine, and they were bound to pay compensation out of the local rates. The provisions of the Order did not extend to Ireland.

MR. R. H. PAGET

asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, If he will be good enough to inform the House what steps, if any, are now being taken by the Privy Council to deal with the serious losses resulting from the widespread existence of swine-fever; if he will represent to the Privy Council the propriety of arming local authorities with further powers to enable them to secure proper and habitual cleansing and disinfection of premises used by dealers in swine; and, further, if he is in a position to afford the House any information as to the appointment, powers, and duties of the Agricultural Committee of the Privy Council?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY

In reply to the first part of the Question of my hon. Friend, I may say that an Order of Council, which comes into force on the 21st of July, was passed on the 3rd of this month, the provisions of which, generally speaking, are as follows: — It prohibits the holding of markets, fairs, or sale of swine, either fat or store, throughout England, subject to the following provisions—first, a public sale of fat swine may be held with a licence of the Local Authority, but the animals exposed for sale must be slaughtered within three days; secondly, a public or private sale of swine, either fat or store, may be held without a licence of the Local Authority, provided (1) that the sale is held on premises which are not in a swine-affected place; (2) that no pig on the premises is affected with swine fever; (3) that any pig exposed for sale has been on the premises 28 days before the sale. Provision is also made by the Order for the exhibition of swine at agricultural shows with a licence of the Local Authority on such conditions as they may think fit. Power is reserved to the Privy Council to revoke any such licence, and in any circumstances to grant a licence. With these exceptions all fairs, markets, or sales for swine throughout England are absolutely prohibited from the 21st of this month until the 1st of October. I am quite aware—and that is one of the misfortunes which I greatly lament in connection with this outbreak— that an Order of this kind cannot be enforced without inflicting very considerable inconvenience. But it is inconvenience which I am afraid is inseparable from the arrest and suppression of this disease; and my hon. Friend will perceive that stringent measures are rendered necessary when I mention as showing the rapid increase of this malady that it appears from the Returns which have been received at the Agricultural Department from the Inspectors of Local Authorities that while the average number of outbreaks for the last five years has been about 2,000, over 4,000 outbreaks have occurred within the first six months of the present year already, and it is increasing with great rapidity now. Notwithstanding this, the Privy Council, bearing in mind the satisfactory results of similar Orders in dealing both with cattle plague and foot-and-mouth disease, have every hope that the disease by these means will shortly be checked; but they are quite prepared to adopt further measures if they should be necessary. My hon. Friend also inquires if I will represent to the Privy Council the propriety of arming local authorities with further powers to enable them to secure proper and habitual cleansing of premises used by dealers in swine? But I think he has omitted to observe how wide are the powers already conferred on the Local Authority by Article 109 of the Animal Order of 1884. They are as follow: — For requiring the owners, lessees, or occupiers of markets, fairs, sale-yards, places of exhibition, lairs, or other places used for animals, to cleanse those places from time to time at their own expense; for requiring the owners, lessees, or occupiers of those places to disinfect the same or any spelled part thereof from time to time at their own expense, where, in the judgment of the Local Authority, the circumstances are such as to allow of such disinfection being reasonably required; for prescribing the mode in which such cleansing and such disinfection are to be effected. These are the powers already enjoyed; and while I should only be too glad to receive any suggestions from the wide experience of my hon. Friend, it appears to the Privy Council, and that is my own opinion, that the powers already enjoyed are sufficient; and I confess I do not see at this moment how they can be effectually widened. In reply to the third part of the Question of my hon. Friend, I have to say that a Committee of Council for the consideration of all matters relating to agriculture was appointed by the Queen in Council on the 27th of June last. It consists of the Lord President, the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, the Earl of Harrow by, the Earl of Lathom, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. By the Order of the 27th of June all matters relating to agriculture are referred to them; and, in the absence of the Lord President, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster presides over the Committee. The Committee, or any two of them, exercise all the powers conferred on the Privy Council by the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act; and the Lord President and the Chancellor of the Duchy are in daily attendance at the office for that purpose. In addition to the duties involved in carrying out the provisions of that Act, the Committee receive and consider all Reports and statistics received from the Colonies and foreign countries, and the Agricultural Returns, both home, foreign, and Colonial, are prepared and issued under their supervision. All the correspondence connected with the above question is carried on by them, and all Orders of Council under the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act—of which there were 174 in the year 1884—are passed by them.

MR. R. H. PAGET

asked whether the right hon. Gentleman could state how often the Committee referred to in his reply was summoned to meet; how many times it had met since its first appointment; and whether he would lay upon the Table a Return giving particulars as to the attendance of Members of the Committee?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY

promised to make further inquiries into the subject.