§ MR. FIELD (Dublin, St. Patrick)To ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether at present there is anything to prevent Argentine cattle, or cattle from any other prohibitive country, being landed at one of the Channel Islands, and shipped from thence to London, where after a detention, not exceeding twelve hours and an inspection by the Board of Agriculture, they may be railed to pasture as store cattle; and, if not, whether we will take measures to prevent the importation of disease through this route for imported animals.
(Answered by Sir Edward Strachey.) It is very unlikely that the Channel Islands authorities will countenance in any way the importation of cattle into the Islands from Argentina or other prohibited countries. I propose, however, to communicate with those authorities through the Home Office on the subject, and, in the meantime, the hon. Member may rest assured that we shall take every possible means of preventing the introduction of disease into the 895 United Kingdom through the agency of animals brought from the Islands.