§ 55. Mr. C. BATHURSTasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he has any official information showing that the first of the recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland is traceable to straw used for packing merchandise imported from the Continent; and, if so, whether the Government will consider the desirability of requiring such merchandise to be packed in wood wool or some other material which does not originate on possibly infected farms?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Runciman)I am aware that the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland have been attributed to the cause suggested in the first part of the question, but I do not know on what evidence the suspicion is based. With regard to the second part of the question I would refer the hon. Member to the unanimous Report of the recent Departmental Committee of which he himself was a member; any new evidence on this subject will of course be considered.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that many witnesses before the Committee gave evidence in favour of insisting upon some such packing material as I have indicated in my question, and that it was some time before the Committee came to a unanimous opinion as to the manner of their Report in that respect?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThat may be so, but the Report of the Committee, signed by the hon. Gentleman, was that they did not think there was sufficient ground for legislating on this subject.
§ 56. Mr. FIELDasked the President of the Board of Agriculture what further and immediate relaxation of restrictions he is prepared to allow for the importation of Irish livestock into Great Britain?
§ 57. Mr. KILBRIDEasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether, in view of the fact that no trace of disease has been discovered in any one of the 500,000 livestock sent from Ireland in the last-three months, and that Ireland is practically free from disease, he can now see his-way to permit the free transit of Irish fat cattle to the different fat cattle markets in Great Britain?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANIn view of the fact that no outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed in Ireland outside the Westmeath prohibited area since the 7th October, I propose as from the 27th instant to reduce the period during which Irish animals are detained at the authorised landing places from fourteen, days to four days from the time of shipment, provided of course that no material change in the position as regards disease in Ireland occurs in the meantime. After the period of detention has terminated the animals will be allowed to be moved under licence either to a slaughterhouse or bacon factory for slaughter there, or to premises on which they can be detained and isolated for a further period of twenty-one days. These arrangements will apply to cattle-and swine.
§ Mr. JOHN O'CONNORIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that at a market held at Dublin last week there were 4,000 head of cattle sold, and that only 600 were exported because there was no accommodation at Birkenhead, the only place to which they could be sent, and will he, in face of that fact, allow those cattle to be moved to Deptford and other places by rail?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI do not think the supplementary question put by the hon. Gentleman arises out of the answer which I gave, but the changes which I am making will considerably relieve the congestion both at the ports of shipment and landing.
§ Mr. GINNELLArising out of the first answer of the right hon. Gentleman, which he confined to fat cattle for slaughter, will not the relaxations extend to store cattle?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI did not confine my answer either to fat or store cattle; I said "All cattle."
§ Captain MURRAYCan the right hon. Gentleman now make any statement as to the importation of Irish store cattle into Dundee, Glasgow, and Ayr?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANSo far as Dundee is concerned, I believe the Dundee Harbour Trust will have their aranrgements complete for receiving cattle on Monday next.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTIs it not impossible for a scientific point of view to fix any period of detention which is less than ten days; and, if that is so, would it not be better, under the circumstances, to allow all cattle from Munster and Con-naught to be admitted without any restrictions?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANIt is not a question of what is scientifically possible, but what is necessary from an administrative point of view to prevent the spread of the disease in England, if during the next few weeks our hopeful anticipations are not realised. Four days is the period we propose to detain the animals, so that if the disease should break out again in Ireland it will be before they have been scattered too freely.