§ MR. DELANYI beg to ask the hon. Member for North Huntingdonshire, as representing the Board of Agriculture, whether, in view of the fact that there wore only 182 outbreaks of swine fever last year in Ireland, as against 1,196 in Great Britain, the Board of Agriculture will consider the advisability of withdrawing the restrictions placed on the movement of Irish swine into Great Britain.
§ *MR. AILWYX FELLOWES (Huntingdonshire, Ramsey)In my printed reply to the hon. Gentleman's Question of the 20th ultimo, † I stated that owing to a difference in the meaning attached to the term outbreak in Great Britain and Ireland the numbers returned for the two countries were not comparable. I also briefly alluded to the considerations upon which the Board's recent action was based. Since then there has been no change in the circumstances necessitating a reconsideration of the matter on the part of the Board. I may add that while the total number of swine in Great Britain is 2,861,000, the total number in Ireland is 1,315,000, and that while the average number of outbreaks of swine fever in Great Britain for the first eight weeks in last year was 26.25, the outbreaks for the first eight weeks of this year have averaged 10.87.
§ MR. DELANYCan the hon. Gentleman say whether any outbreaks in Great Britain have been traceable to swine imported from Ireland?
§ *MR. AILWYN FELLOWESI am afraid that is the case.
§ MR. FLAVINI beg to ask the hon. Member for North Huntingdonshire, as representing the Board of Agriculture, whether he can state when the Order was made and became operative in connection with the alleged cases of swine fever in Ireland; whether he can state the number of swine fever cases in existence in Ireland for thirty days prior to the Order coming into force; and also for the thirty days after the Order became operative.
§ *MR. AILWYN FELLOWESThe Swine Fever (Movement from Ireland) Order of 1904 became operative on January 23rd, 1905. In the four weeks ending January 21st there were three outbreaks of swine fever returned for Ireland, and during the following four weeks one. I would refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of February 20th † to a somewhat, similar Question put by the hon. Member for Queen's
† See (4) Debaes, exli., 585.198 County. I then pointed out that the definition of the term outbreak differs materially in the two countries, and explained shortly the considerations upon which the Board's recent action was based.
§ MR. FLAVINAre the same precautions taken to prevent the disease coming from Denmark and other Continental countries?
§ *MR. AILWYN FELLOWESNo live cattle from the Continent may be landed here.
§ MR. JOYCE (Limerick)Was the Irish Board consulted by the English Department before the Order was promulgated?
§ *MR. AILWYN FELLOWESYes, the Board has been in constant communication with the Irish Department.