§ 8. Miss Quennellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many outbreaks of fireblight were notified to his Department in the past year; how this compares with previous years; and how many apple and pear trees have been affected.
§ Mr. HoyFireblight was recorded by my Department on 100 farms and nursery holdings in 1969. This compared with 142, 164 and 140 in 1966, 1967 and 1968 respectively. In 1969 approximately 2,250 apple and 600 pear trees were affected.
§ Miss QuennellIn view of the persistence of this nasty disease, will the Minister tell the House two things? First, what has become of his Department's pamphlet "Fire-blight in Britain", which I understand has been withdrawn for revision and has not reappeared? Second, will he undertake some form of publicity so that the ordinary gardener can identify this bacterial disease among the flowering shrubs which may be hosts to it?
§ Mr. HoyWe have been revising the literature dealing with the disease. The hon. Member will know that it is a very difficult disease to deal with. We have through our publicity section and the N.A.A.S. service attempted to convey to everyone concerned just what is involved in the disease. We are doing our utmost to warn people of its dangers.