§ 61. Mr. ROSBOTHAMasked the Minister of Agriculture the present position with regard to the recent serious outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease?
§ Dr. ADDISONNo outbreak of disease has been confirmed since the 15th July, and the only districts in Great Britain which are now subject to restrictions are small areas in Buckinghamshire, Lancashire and Fifeshire. Providing no further outbreaks are confirmed, I propose to withdraw all movement restrictions by the middle of August. I should like to take this opportunity of paying tribute not only to the work of the Ministry's staff, at Headquarters and in the field, who applied themselves unremittingly to the task of suppressing the outbreaks, but also to the willing co-operation of local authorities and their officials, backed by the active support of farmers' organisations and of farmers individually, without which the outbreaks could not have been prevented from disastrous extension.