HL Deb 15 March 1878 vol 238 cc1389-90

Select Committee on, nominated: The Lords following wore named of the Committee:

Ld. President. E. Feversham.
D. Somerset. V. Cardwell.
M. Salisbury. L. Dunsany.
M. Ripon. L. Crofton.
M. Abergavenny. L. Skelmersdale.
E. Spencer. L. Emly.
E. Elleamere.

The Committee to meet on Monday next, at Four o'clock; and to appoint their own Chairman.

THEEARL OF FEVERSHAM

asked the Lord President of the Council, Whether the Cattle Diseases Bill provides for cases in which cattle diseases may be detected in animals during transit, or on landing, or while exposed in a market; and, if so, in what manner?

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND AND GORDON

I am glad my noble Friend has put this Question, because there has been some misapprehension in the public mind on the point to which he refers. The Bill does provide especially for the cases to which he alludes, and also to other cases of a similar kind— that is to say, whenever an animal is found affected with foot - and - mouth disease, or with pleuro - pneumonia, while in transit in a market, fair, sale-yard, place of exhibition, lair, or slaughter-house; or, generally speaking, while being in a place other than a place in the possession of the owner of the animal. The Report of the Select Committee dealt with the question in a general manner, and did not contemplate this class of cases; but such cases forced themselves upon our attention during the preparation of the Bill, and the clause which touches them is the 22nd. That clause enables the Privy Council to make Orders suitable to the different circumstances of the case. I do not want to pledge 'myself to the details; but I consider that it will be the duty of the Privy Council, before the Act comes into operation, to pass General Orders, under the 22nd clause, excluding all such cases from the operations of the provisions respecting infected places, and making different regulations for them. For example, a cargo of cattle from Ireland is landed at a wharf in Liverpool, and pleuro-pneumonia or foot-and-mouth disease is detected in one animal. It would be manifestly impracticable to treat the whole of the wharf as a strictly infected place for a period of 56 days in one case or 28 days in another. The same observation would apply to an animal in a lair connected with a public market or slaughter-house. The circumstances vary so much that it is almost, if not quite, impossible to deal with all these cases by an Act of Parliament. Authority must be given to the Privy Council to deal with them by General Orders adapted to the necessities of the different cases that may arise.