§ MR. GULLAND (Dumfries Burghs)I beg to ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, if he is aware that the local authorities of Cumberland and Carlisle have adopted regulations prohibiting the movement into their territory of all kinds of cattle from any part of Scotland; and that they offer to exempt the counties of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Wigtown, and Roxburgh, on condition that the local authorities of these counties exclude stock from all other parts of Scotland; and whether the Board of Agriculture have sanctioned this treatment of Scotland.
§ SIR J. JARDINE (Roxburghshire)At the same time may I ask the hon. Member for South Somerset, as representing the President of the Board of Agriculture, if he is aware that the local authorities of Cumberland and Carlisle have adopted regulations prohibiting the movement of horned cattle from the county of Roxburgh, and that they offer 1092 to exempt cattle from that county and the counties of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, and Wigtown, on condition that the local authorities of those counties keep out stock from other parts of Scotland; and whether the Board of Agriculture have sanctioned this treatment of Scotland.
§ *MR. J. A. PEASE (Essex, Saffron Walden)The reply to the first and second part of the Questions is in the affirmative. The regulations to which my hon. friends refer were made by the local authorities concerned and do not require the sanction of the Board.
§ MR. GULLANDIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the Dumfriesshire County Council has refused to cut itself off from the rest of Scotland, and of the great inconvenience and loss which is being occasioned in Scotland by this unusual prohibition? Will he use the influence of the Board with the local authorities to get it removed?
§ MR. CATHCART WASON (Orkney and Shetland)Will he also use his influence in view of the fact that tuberculous cattle are being sold in public?
§ *MR. J. A. PEASEThe sale of tuberculous cattle has nothing to do with the foot and mouth disease regulations. In reply to the supplementary Question of the hon. Member for Dumfries Burghs, I may say the Board are fully possessed of the whole circumstances. They do not see their way at present to interfere, but should the regulation remain in operation for too long a period, no doubt they would make representations to the authorities concerned.
§ MR. LAMBTON (Durham, S. E.)Is it the intention of the Government now to reconsider some of the provisions of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Bill?
§ *MR. J. A. PEASEThe provisions of the Small Landholders (Scotland) Bill appear to be quite irrelevant to the regulations recently issued by local authorities in Cumberland and Carlisle relating to foot and mouth disease.