§ 38. Mr. James Davidsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make illegal in Scotland the sale, except for slaughter, of cattle which are confirmed brucellosis reactors.
§ Mr. RossNo, Sir. Restrictions on the sale of reactors would have little effect on the incidence of brucellosis in the national herd.
§ Mr. DavidsonDoes the Secretary of State realise that, because of the nature of this disease, it is now impossible for farmers purchasing cattle in the market to know whether they are buying infected or diseased cattle, and that, far from building up a reservoir of disease-free herds in the country, the present system is spreading the disease into herds previously free of it?
§ Mr. RossI cannot accept that as true. The scheme has made a reasonable start. From a veterinary point of view, it was considerably held up in England and Wales by the troubles last year with foot-and-mouth disease. In Scotland, there are over 3,000 herds involved in the scheme, and I believe that we have already about 820 accredited herds. It is a slow business—I appreciate that—but it is the only way by which we can move, in stages, towards a proper eradication scheme.
§ Mr. StodartWill the right hon. Gentleman accept that I regret having to say that I found his answer somewhat complacent when he said that he did not accept what the hon. Gentleman had said? Does he not agree that the sale of reactors is endangering those who are already in the scheme, and losing their good will, which is a very important matter?
§ Mr. RossI appreciate the difficulties here, just as the hon. Gentleman himself will understand the complexities. One of the difficulties in vaccination is that most of the animals will react. This is why it is so difficult at the present stage to proceed to eradication. In my opinion, we must be patient as regards the building up of accredited herds.
§ 39. Mr. James Davidsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to introduce a compulsory brucellosis eradication and compensation scheme in Scotland on an area by area basis.
§ Mr. RossI cannot yet say when it will be possible to introduce eradication area by area, but meanwhile progress is being made under the Brucellosis (Accredited Herds) Scheme.
§ Mr. DavidsonIs the Secretary of State aware that, in the opinion of many farmers, experts and veterinary surgeons, the Government are showing unwarranted complacency about this whole issue? Will he take it that a veterinary surgeon whom I have known for 14 years and who practises in my area says that in many parts of the United Kingdom brucellosis is now at what amounts to epidemic proportions and that the longer the disease is left under the present complacent method of eradication instead of an all-out method, the eventual cost of 1010 eradication will be a great deal higher than it would be if the Government grasped the nettle now?
§ Mr. RossWe, too, have our veterinary advisers. The hon. Gentleman should not think that this is a simple matter. It took us 25 years to eradicate, or to make good progress in relation to, bovine tuberculosis. The position as regards brucellosis is much more complex, and it is complicated by measures taken hitherto.