§ 6. Mr. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many animals were slaughtered on account of foot-and-mouth disease in 1956; what was the total cost to public funds in compensation and administrative services; and if he will give further information on the sources of infection and the research being undertaken into possibilities of treating South American meat shipments to render them harmless.
Mr. AmoryAs regards the number of animals slaughtered, the cost of compensation and the probable sources of infection, I have nothing to add to the reply I gave my hon. Friend on 22nd January, except that two of the six primary outbreaks whose origins were then obscure are now thought to have been due to infection introduced from the Continent. The cost of central and local administrative services can be broadly estimated at £250,000 for 1956. The Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Institute at Pirbright has for some time been studying the effects of radiation on the virus.
§ Mr. HurdCould my right hon. Friend keep a very close eye on this problem, because I am sure that he himself recognises that it would be a very great boon to the farmers of this country if we did not have this very heavy risk of foot-and-mouth disease being brought in by South American meat?
Mr. AmoryI will indeed, and I very much appreciate the close interest which my hon. Friend is taking in the matter.