HC Deb 22 February 1897 vol 46 cc872-3
MAJOR RASCH (Essex, S.E.)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the serious outbreak of pleuro-pneumonia at Purleigh, in South-east Essex; and whether he will consider the possibility of isolation instead of slaughter when there has only been a case of contact and not disease?

*THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE (Mr. WALTER LONG,) Liverpool, West Derby

I am, of course, aware of the unfortunate outbreak of pleuro-pueumonia to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers, but I regret that it is not possible for me to adopt the suggestion which he is good enough to make. Experience has amply shown that unless animals which have been exposed to infection are forthwith slaughtered there is no probability of the extirpation of the disease, and as a matter of fact one of the animals slaughtered at Purleigh was found to be affected with pleuro-pneumonia of long standing.

SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee)

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the cases of pleuro-pneumonia which have occurred in Essex originated in that county; if not, to what locality their origin has been traced; and whether similar measures will be taken to prevent the importation of disease from one part of the kingdom to another, as have been applied to Canadian cattle?

*MR. WALTER LONG

Inquiries are still proceeding as to the origin of the cases of pleuro-pneumonia to which the hon. Member refers. There is some ground for believing that the affected animals may have been brought over from Ireland, but although a considerable number of cattle have been slaughtered by the Irish authorities at the places from which they are said to have come, no case of disease has been discovered. The Board have full power to prevent the importation of disease from one part of the kingdom to another, but there is practically uniformity of administration in these matters throughout the United Kingdom, and there is no necessity for our taking any measures in this direction under existing conditions.