Foot-and-Mouth Disease

HC Deb 28 June 1973 vol 858 cc1715-6

6. Mr. Marten

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on foot-and-mouth disease policy in the EEC.

Mr. Godber

The differences between the foot-and-mouth disease control policies of the new member States and those of the original Six members have been recognised. We and the other new member States have the right to continue our present livestock and meat import policies, pending a review designed to arrive at mutually acceptable common policies to operate from 1st January 1978.

Mr. Marten

Does not my right hon. Friend recognise that the only mutually acceptable policy for this country is the slaughter policy, and that we have no wish to go over to the vaccination policy? Is not the present raging outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Eastern Europe and Austria underlining this?

Mr. Godber

I fully understand my hon. Friend's concern. I myself do not wish to see any change which would weaken our safeguards. I emphasise that we are not being asked at the moment to abandon our slaughter policy. I accept what my hon. Frinend says about the outbreak of the disease in Eastern Europe. However, in the original Six members of the Community, by the use of vaccines they have reduced outbreaks from 23,000 in 1965 to only 41 in 1972. So my hon. Friend will recognise that there is a case for argument here. But we have time to thrash out a concerted policy.

Mr. Elystan Morgan

May we have an asurance that whatever proposals are put forward by other member countries in the Community the right hon. Gentleman will not contemplate any relaxation in the high standards of restriction now employed in this country, and that he will not contemplate a situation where, due to vaccination or otherwise, the disease is ever tolerated as endemic in Britain?

Mr. Godber

The hon. Gentleman will recall the Northumberland Committee set up by the Labour Administration, which did valuable work on this subject. That committee indicated that in certain circumstances vaccination might be desirable. Therefore, I wish to keep an open mind about it. But my own preference is certainly for a slaughter policy.

Mr. Biffen

What will be the consequences for the Government of the draft decision of the Council of Ministers concerning A22 foot-and-mouth virus? Shall we be under any obligation to contribute to its production? Will my right hon. Friend confirm that if we should unhappily be inflicted with an outbreak of A22-type foot-and-mouth virus we shall insist on implementing a slaughter policy?

Mr. Godber

I would wish to refresh my mind by looking again at the matter to which my hon. Friend has referred. In this country we have at Pirbright some of the best expert advice on all the different strains of the virus. Whether there is any question of producing it for vaccination purposes I do not know. But in the past we have produced a great deal to help other countries, and I should not rule that out.

Mr. Deakins

As we are still an island, although part of the Common Market, is there any need, on animal health grounds, to harmonise our policy with that of the Common Market?

Mr. Godber

I see no reason why in theory we should not harmonise. I hope that we can persuade the Community that it should adopt our policy. This is what we sought to achieve long before we joined, and I should have thought that the hon. Gentleman would have supported me in that policy.