§ 5. Mr. A. Royleasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will allow Service men's dogs, returning from the rabies-free island of Cyprus, to be excluded from quarantine regulations when entering the United Kingdom, provided they travel in sealed containers.
§ Mr. SoamesNo, Sir. I do not think it would be right to relax our strict quarantine arrangements which have kept the country free from rabies for so long.
§ Mr. RoyleWill my right hon. Friend look at this matter again? Is he aware that considerable hardship is caused unnecessarily to Service men by a regulation which does not apply to Eire, which is not a member of the Commonwealth? Cannot an exception be made also for Cyprus, which is a member of the Commonwealth?
§ Mr. SoamesThe whole of the British Isles, including Eire, has exactly the same quarantine arrangements. Indeed, the veterinary surgeons who see that these arrangements are implemented go to the same colleges, and for the purpose of quarantine Eire and the United Kingdom are considered as one entity. It is not so in the case of Cyprus. We would not think it right at present to extend the boundaries of our protection without the British Isles.
§ Mr. WallIn that case, would not my right hon. Friend look at the whale question? Is it not clear that there are now satisfactory ways of immunising dogs? Should we not relax these very strict regulations which cause great hardship to animal lovers?
§ Mr. SoamesIt is easy to talk in terms of perfectly satisfactory ways of immunising dogs, but experience has shown that even the most modern vaccines are not 100 per cent. efficient. This is a most terrible disease. We have not had it in this country, except in quarantine, for about forty years. Indeed, the World Health Organisation has advised that those countries which impose quarantine should continue to do so. Whereas 3 million dog licences are issued each year in this country, only about 3,000 dogs, or 0.1 per cent. of that total number of dogs, come into the country and we do not wish to put at risk our indigenous dog population.
§ Mr. RoyleIs it not a fact that the veterinary surgeons in Cyprus were trained at the same colleges as those in Eire and, therefore, the argument that applies to Eire ought to apply to Cyprus?
§ Mr. SoamesIt would be a very wide extension to go from the British Isles way out to Cyprus. Dogs belonging to Service men move from Germany to Cyprus and we would not have anything like the same control as we have at present.
§ Mr. LagdenCould my right hon. Friend give an undertaking to look at this whole question of quarantine himself now and again and not rely too much on the advice of the Civil Service, which is apt to be handed down and not reviewed as often as it should be?
§ Mr. SoamesI assure my hon. Friend that I have given a good deal of consideration to this problem and I have had the fullest consultations with representatives of the veterinary and medical professions.