HC Deb 04 November 1912 vol 43 cc812-7
8. Mr. KILBRIDE

asked the right hon. Gentleman whether he will now permit the transit by rail from Holyhead to London, Manchester, and Liverpool of Irish fat cattle from non-infected areas in Ireland after inspection before embarkation and on arrival at this side?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

I regret that I do not at present see my way to allow the move- ment of Irish cattle from the wharves and landing places to which they are brought, unless they have been detained there for the prescribed period of fourteen days from the date of shipment.

Mr. KILBRIDE

In view of the fact that no case of foot-and-mouth disease has been shown in the large number of animals which have come here since 1st July, will the right hon. Gentleman at an early date be able to remove these restrictions!

Mr. RUNCIMAN

I am taking that fact into account.

13. Mr. W. O'BRIEN

asked the right hon. Gentleman whether, in view of the continued immunity of the province of Munster from foot-and-mouth disease, he can now announce the withdrawal of the restrictions on the export of store cattle to Great Britain from the Munster ports?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

I do not think that it can as yet be safely assumed that foot-and-mouth disease is confined to the Mullingar scheduled area, or that it will not make its appearance elsewhere in Ireland. This being the case I regret that I do not at present see my way to withdraw restrictions on the importation of cattle for store purposes from Ireland to Great Britain.

Mr. W. O'BRIEN

Will not the season be over in a week or two, and cannot the right hon. Gentleman do anything to mitigate the misfortune, which involves a loss of something like £3,000,000, in a province which has been perfectly free from disease for the last generation?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

The season will not be over in the course of the next few weeks; it will be going on right through the winter. I think I have already mitigated some of the restrictions under which the importers are now working. I am considering the position from day to day.

Mr. KILBRIDE

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the farmers of Norfolk get nearly all their supplies of store cattle from the Irish cattle shown at Norwich week after week in the months of August, September, and October?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

I know that has been their practice in the past.

Mr. FLAVIN

How can the right hon. Gentleman justify a quarantine of fourteen days for store cattle from Munster, seeing that there has been no disease of any kind there for the past thirty years?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

If I were certain that none of the cattle had any disease, no quarantine would be necessary. When that condition has been reached, the quarantine will be taken off.

Mr. FLAVIN

What justification is there for the statement that the disease has existed in any part of Munster for the last thirty years?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

I have not asserted that there was any disease in Munster. What I have asserted is that nobody could be certain that it will not make its appearance there.

10. Mr. CHARLES BATHURST

asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Board have any knowledge of the existence of foot-and-mouth disease in Canada; and whether the present Hay and Straw Order of the Board applies to Canadian hay?

Mr. RUNCIMAN

The answer to both parts of the question is in the negative.

55. Mr. GINNELL

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), having regard to the experience of stock owners that not more than 1 per cent, of healthy animals die of foot-and-mouth disease, and that after recovery they thrive rapidly and are in demand, whether the Department has consulted the agricultural council on the merits of rigidly isolating infected areas and trying to cure the beasts, as compared with the present costly system of slaughtering affected and unaffected animals alike; and if he will state the grounds on which the latter system has been adopted instead of the former?

Mr. T. W. RUSSELL (Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture, Ireland)

The present practice of slaughtering the affected animals, as well as those in contact with the affected animals where the circumstances of the outbreak warrant such a course, are fully justified by the experience of the Department hitherto in suppressing the disease in the districts where it has broken out as well as by the experience of Great Britain and other countries. The method of procedure in this respect is, moreover, that approved by the Departmental Committee appointed last year by the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries to inquire into foot-and-mouth disease. The Council of Agriculture at a meeting specially convened in September for the purpose of considering the position as regards foot-and-mouth disease passed unanimousy a resolution supporting the action of the Department.

Mr. W. O'BRIEN

Is it not the case that in France, where there were more than 100,000 cases, the epidemic has been stamped out by the treatment of serum?

Mr. RUSSELL

I must ask for notice of that question.

Mr. CATHCART WASON

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he has now made arrangements for cremating the animals slaughtered instead of burying them?

Mr. RUSSELL

I am in hopes no such provision will be necessary. The entire country with the exception of the parish of Mullingar is completely free from disease. We have been a week without any case from Mullingar, and I hope we have seen the end.

56. Mr. FFRENCH

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland), if he is aware that no cattle are shipped from the port of Wexford but Wexford cattle, and that they are shipped by Wexford steamers only; and, seeing that the county of Wexford has been free from foot-and-mouth disease, will he recommend the port of Wexford to be opened for the shipment of store cattle?

Mr. RUSSELL

The Department have no objection to cattle for store purposes being shipped from Wexford if the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries will arrange for their admission at the approved landing places in Great Britain.

57. Mr. VINCENT KENNEDY

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he has arranged to remove the foot-and-mouth restrictions so as to enable the fair of Belturbet to be held on the 7th November instant; and how many days have elapsed since the last outbreak occurred affecting the Belturbet district?

Mr. RUSSELL

The Department, with the concurrence of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, have made an Order. to come into force on the 7th instant, the effect of which will be to contract the existing scheduled district in counties Fermanagh, Cavan, and Leitrim to an area having a radius, roughly speaking, of seven or eight miles from the infected places. Belturbet is outside the new area, and the fair can therefore be held on 7th instant, provided, of course, that no fresh outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease occurs in the locality in the meantime. The last case of the disease in the district occurred on the 5th October.

58. Mr. VINCENT KENNEDY

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he has arranged to allow the fair of Dowra, county Cavan, to be held to-day. 4th November; when the last case of foot-and-mouth disease affecting restrictions in this district occurred; and has his Department treated this district in any way different as regards area or length of time of restrictions to other districts in Ireland?

Mr. RUSSELL

The answer to the first and last parts of the question is in the negative. The latest case of foot-and-mouth disease in the Fermanagh, Cavan, and Leitrim scheduled district was reported on the 5th October. The area of restrictions will be substantially reduced on 7th November if no further cases occur.

Mr. J. O'CONNOR

Can the right hon. Gentleman inform me whether, having regard to the fact that Kildare has had a total immunity from foot-and-mouth disease for five or six weeks, he will allow the usual fair to be held at Naas, the capital town of North Kildare?

Mr. RUSSELL

Yes, Sir. The Kildare area was substantially reduced last week, and the fair at Naas will be allowed to be held.

59. Mr. KELLY

asked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether any cases have arisen where cattle from a non-infected area, which had never been in contact with cattle from an infected area, were placed by the orders of his officials in a yard with cattle which had come from an infected area, so that the non-infected animals had to remain in quarantine owing to the ill-considered action of his officials: and, if so, whether his Department accept responsibility for the loss incurred by the owners of the non-infected cattle?

Mr. RUSSELL

The Department do not know to what cases this question relates. If specific particulars are given inquiry will be made.

Mr. KELLY

May I take it that if I produce a case the Department will accept responsibility for the loss incurred?

Mr. RUSSELL

That is the substance of my reply.