§ Mr. STANIERasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture when the Report of the Diseases of Animals for 1910 will be issued?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Sir E. Strachey)The Report has been sent to the printers, and will, I hope, be delivered early next week.
§ Mr. CHARLES BATHURSTasked to what extent and by what methods the Board has succeeded in preventing the further spread of foot-and-mouth disease during the past ten days.
§ Sir E. STRACHEYThere has been no extension of foot-and-mouth disease outside the limits of the infected places prescribed by the Board in Middlesex and Sussex. The methods adopted have been those which were successful on previous occasions.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTHow long is it proposed to continue this zone of quicklime around the infected areas?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must give notice of that question.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked whether regulations restricting the importation of straw and hay, including that used for packing, from every country in which any cases of foot-and-mouth disease are known to exist are in fact at present in force; and, if so, why similar restrictions should not be placed upon all farm produce from such sources intended for consumption by British farm stock?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYThe importation of hay and straw for use as fodder or litter is prohibited by the Foreign Hay and Straw Order of 1908. The question of prohibiting the importation of other farm produce, including hay and straw used for packing merchandise, has often been considered, but infection has never been found to be attributable to such articles. The Board propose to institute further inquiries as to the means, if any, by which greater security could be obtained.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTIs the order restricting the importation of this foreign hay and straw at present in force in regard to infected countries?
§ Sir E. STRACHEYIt certainly is in force.