BRUCELLOSIS ERADICATION SCHEME (Hansard, 10 December 1973)

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, while good progress continues to be made in the eradication of brucellosis, the rate of future progress must depend largely on the availability of whole-time veterinary staff and the other demands made upon their time. The Ministry of Agriculture, 868 Fisheries and Food is continuing its efforts to increase the strength of the State Veterinary Service.

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, in view of the fact that the noble Lord has said that progress depends on the State Veterinary Service, may I ask whether he is aware that quite recently the President of the British Veterinary Association said that the position was so grave that if an epidemic of any cattle disease occurred in this country—I hope that it will not—the present Service would probably be unable to deal with it? What are the Government doing about increasing the Service? Is the noble Earl aware that the President also stated that the position has been worsening for years; that the Government have been approached by the Service time after time and that the Government have shown complete indifference?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I would not accept the last part of the noble Baroness's supplementary question. I do not think that the Government have been indifferent over this matter. As I explained in my Answer, we are concerned to strengthen the State Veterinary Service. Action has been and is being taken to do this and to encourage new recruits into the Service. The noble Baroness says that there is a likelihood of the Service breaking down because there are not enough people in it. I accept that there are problems when an unexpected outbreak of a disease occurs, but I would remind the noble Baroness that a Committee is sitting under Professor Swann which is looking into the position with regard to the Veterinary Service as a whole.

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, is the noble Earl aware that I am not quoting my own opinion, and that I would not presume to know enough about the agriculture industry to do so? I was quoting the President of the British Veterinary Association who made this statement on the radio last week. May I ask the noble Earl whether he is aware that the President said that the great majority of men in the Veterinary Service are over 45? I should like to know what the Government have done in the last few years—the President said that they had done nothing—to recruit young men and women into the Veterinary Service.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, it was the allegation that I was refuting. I was not suggesting that it had been made by the noble Baroness and not the President of the British Veterinary Association. As the noble Baroness may know, there have been difficulties about the ability to advertise for new recruits. We are concerned about this matter and we do advertise for new recruits into the Service. That is producting results, albeit not as quickly as we should wish.

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, I am sorry to have to put another supplementary question, but may I ask this in order to help the Government? Is the noble Earl aware that it is no use advertising in newspapers. One should go to the schools. We want students, boys and girls who are wondering what their future career should be. That is where the Department should be tackling the problem, not waiting until these young people have other jobs.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I accept the point made by the noble Baroness. My noble friend Lord Balerno has an Unstarred Question down for debate on Wednesday of this week, and possibly we can then go into the matter in more detail. I accept the noble Baroness's concern. We equally are concerned. But I do not think that one should infer from this that the State Veterinary Service is likely to break down or that the brucellosis scheme is not going ahead as quickly as it should, because in fact it is.

§ LORD WIGG
My Lords, if the Minister is telling the House that the Government are doing all they can to improve and widen the Veterinary Service, and as their proposals include cutting down the six existing veterinary schools to four and curtaining the number of students entering the schools, would he tell the House what the Government would be doing if they were not in favour of improving the Service?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, if the Government were not in favour of improving the Veterinary Service, they would not be doing all they can to strengthen the Service, which is what they are doing.

§ LORD SLATER
My Lords the noble Earl referred to a Committee that had been set up. May I ask when the Com 870 mittee was set up and whether the noble Earl could inform the House when it is expected that the Committee will be able to give its Report?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, a Committee of Inquiry was set up under Sir Michael Swann. It is expected that its Report will be published during the summer of 1974.

THE EARL OF MAR
My Lords, can the noble Earl say how many vets have had brucellosis, or have it now?—because I think a considerable number of them have.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, if the noble Earl will be good enough to put down a specific Question on that point, I will find out the specific Answer.

LORD ROWALLAN
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that for six years now we have been stressing the importance of keeping the veterinary medical services at a high level? Is he also aware that during those six years practically nothing has been done, and that the Government are not making themselves very popular with farmers, who, frankly, are disgusted with the way in which they have been treated? Is the noble Earl futher aware that there are many ways in which the veterinary services could be better used than they are now? For instance, one is—I hope your Lordships will excuse me for going on—that animals—

SEVERAL NOBLE LORDS
Question!

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I did not think this question would go by without the noble Lord, Lord Rowallan, making an interjection on the position of the State Veterinary Service. The fact is that there have been increasing demands over the last ten years on the veterinary profession, whether State or private. Of course this has caused problems. With respect to the noble Lord, I would not agree that farmers are disgusted with the way that they have been treated by the State Veterinary Service, because the State Veterinary Service has done an extremely good job in all fields of health control. I would say only this to the noble Lord—that the conclusion of the brucellosis scheme is likely to be within the next decade, which is in line with the forecast that we made originally when the scheme started.

§ LORD BERNSTEIN
My Lords, can the noble Earl say whether he thinks Professor Swann, now that he is the Chairman of the B.B.C. Governors, has too much to do to enable this Report to be issued before the middle of 1974?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I do not think Professor Swann has too much on his plate to cope with this Report. In fact, they are going into the whole position in detail. I suggest that we should wait for their Report to find out exactly what the situation is.