§ 66. Sir GRATTAN DOYLEasked the Minister of Agriculture the number of fresh outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the Newcastle area, with the names of the farms or places where they occurred; and what steps are being taken to deal with the situation?
Mr. SMITHAs the reply is long and contains a number of figures, I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
Sir G. DOYLECould the hon. Gentleman say if there have been any fresh cases notified within the last week?
§ Following is the reply prepared:
§ Of the seven recent outbreaks confirmed in the Newcastle area, two occurred in farms near the city and the remainder in slaughterhouses within the city. Prior to the first of these outbreaks on the 12th of May, there had been no outbreak in Northumberland since the 24th of March. Details of the premises on which they occurred are given below:
§ Date of Confirmation, Name of Owner and the Place where the Disease has been found to exist.
- 12th May.—Dixon Bros., East Coldcoats Farm, Ponteland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- 13th May.—John Deas, No. 2. Slaughterhouse, Old Yard, Dispensary Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- 14th May.—John Edwin Glaholm, 9, Marlborough Crescent, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. (Disease at M. Deas, No. 1, Slaughterhouse, Old Yard, Dispensary Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.)
- 14th May.—Nos. 4, 6 and 13, Slaughterhouses, Cattle Market, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- 14th May.—John Edwin Glaholm, No. 12, Slaughterhouse, 2, Old Yard, Dispensary Lane, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- 15th May.—M. Beaford and Sons, Nos. 9 and 15, Slaughterhouses, Cattle Market, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- 20th May.—A. and T. Turner, Cheviot View, Westerhope, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. (Disease at Newbiggin Hill Farm, Westerhope, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.)
§ With regard to the last part of the question, affected animals and immediate contacts have been slaughtered as usual and the premises disinfected. In addition, the Newcastle local authority have had over 100 slaughterhouses in Newcastle disinfected practically simultaneously. I would add that these outbreaks were brought to light by a combined campaign of inspection by the Ministry and the local authority, owing to a suspicion that cases of foot-and-mouth disease were being dealt with by slaughter in slaughterhouses within the city and not reported. The Ministry's efforts are still being hampered by delays or failures to report cases of the disease.