§ MR. LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the Minister for Agriculture whether it is within the knowledge of his Department that there is a strongly-expressed desire by agriculturists in Scotland for the same facilities to be given for the importation of store cattle, for feeding purposes, from the United States as from the Dominion of Canada; whether there is in his Department trustworthy information of recent date with regard to the existence of disease amongst cattle in the United States justifying the continued enforcement of the regulation, that all American cattle must be slaughtered at the port whore they are landed after crossing the Atlantic; and whether there are any objections to such information being laid upon the Table of the House?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. CHAPLIN, Lincoln, Sleaford)The question of admitting store cattle from the United States of America has frequently been urged upon the Department; but, as the Government of that country is unable to comply with the conditions laid down in paragraph 4 of the fifth schedule to the Act of 1878, the present restriction cannot be relaxed. The Department is in possession of trustworthy information as regards the existence of disease in the United States. During 1889 no less than 47 cattle from America were found to be affected with pleuro-pneumonia after landing in this country. So recently as the 21st of last month a bull affected with pleuro-pneumonia was landed at Deptford from New York. The diseased portions of the lungs are now in the possession of the experts of the Central Department; and I am informed that they were shown to the Deputy Consul General for the United States, and it is believed that he has communicated that fact to his Government.