§ MR. FIELDTo ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, whether his attention has been called to the decline shown in recent official statistics in the production of swine in the three kingdoms; whether he is aware that this is attributed partly to the difficulties arising from the orders restricting the movement of swine, and further to the enormous confiscations by medical officers of health and meat inspectors of entire carcases alleged to be tuberculous, although in many cases only showing the slightest symptoms in one particular gland; whether he is aware that owing to these causes the importation of pigs from foreign countries, where more reasonable methods prevail, have greatly increased; and whether he will consider the advisability of adopting measures to remedy the grievances complained of by the Home producers.
(Answered by Sir Edward Strachey.) The Returns for 1907, which have just been tabulated, show a considerable increase in the number of pigs in Great Britain, the total being 2,636,808 as compared with 2,323,461 in 1906. The statistics of pigs always show consider able fluctuations from year to year, and it has never been possible to see any appreciable relation between them and the severity or otherwise of the swine fever restrictions. We have no information as to the extent to which swine have been seized after slaughter on account of tuberculosis, and on this point I would refer my hon. friend to the Local Government Board. It is certainly not the case 129 that the importation of pigs has increased in recent years. Only 150 pigs were imported in 1905 and none at all in any of the other years from 1899 to 1906, while the importation of pig-meat in 1906 was less than in 1904 and considerably less than in the years 1898 to 1901.