§ Mr. P. FFRENCHI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether any evidence can be adduced to show, or any competent authority has declared, that the methods adopted by the Privy Council in the Order of 1895 are of any use in stamping out swine fever; and, if not, will he recommend the discontinuance of this Order?
§ MR. GERALD BALFOURThe same methods have been adopted in Ireland as in England for the purpose of 1244 stamping out swine fever. A considerable volume of evidence was given before the Committee of Inquiry in 1893 as to the importance of imposing restrictions on the movements of animals in districts infected with the disease, and it is now generally recognised that the holding of fairs and markets with unrestricted movement therefrom, in districts where a contagious disease is prevalent, leads to the spread of the disease. The Order of January, 1895, referred to, has been applied in 32 Poor Law Unions in Ireland, but, in consequence of the decrease of swine fever, 25 out of these 32 Unions have since been exempted from the operation of the Order, and it is hoped that it may be possible to make further exemptions at no distant date.