COLONEL LONG (Worcestershire, Evesham)To ask the President of the Board of Agriculture what foreign nations or British Colonies have laws and regulations to check and prevent the importation of diseased apples or other fruit, so as to stop the introduction into their respective countries of the codlin moth and other insect pests.
(Answered by Mr. Ailwyn Fellowes.) All the principal vine-growing countries have made regulations designed to prevent the introduction of the phylloxera. The United States, Canada, and the South African and Australian Colonies also take precautionary measures against the San Jose scale. British Columbia aims at excluding the woolly aphis, the apple tree aphis, the codlin moth, and other injurious insects and all fungus diseases, and most, if not all, of the Australian Colonies and many of the American States adopt similar precautions to prevent the introduction of insect and fungus pests. As my hon. friend is aware, we have prepared a full Memorandum on the subject for the information of the Departmental Committee on Fruit Culture, of which he is a member; and the subject is one which will continue to receive their careful consideration.