§ 54. Sir P. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture if he has made any estimate of the number of veterinary practitioners who would be required for the periodical inspection of dairy herds; the number now available; and the period which must elapse before a full complement could be enrolled and trained.
Mr. HudsonIt is anticipated that the existing staff of whole-time and part-time veterinary inspectors will be able to carry out the increase of the total number of dairy herd inspections involved by the programme outlined in paragraphs 7–10 of the recent White Paper.
§ Mr. George GriffithsIs it not a fact that the number of practitioners we have will not be sufficient to inspect these herds more than once in a twelvemonth and that there are some inspectors who are doing it in rural districts not oftener than once in three months?
Mr. HudsonI am fully aware of the difficulty. No one is more acutely aware of the shortage of veterinary inspectors than I am, but I said in my answer that we consider that we shall have sufficient numbers to carry out the inspection referred to in paragraphs 7 to 10 of the White Paper.