§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he will state the reason why fat cattle intended for slaughter when landed at this side cannot be shipped from Drogheda if they are brought from south of the dual Boards' imaginary line, whereas the same cattle can be shipped from Dublin; and whether he will state if these restrictions serve any purpose except to starve the port of Drogheda and harass the owners of stock with additional unnecessary expense?
§ Mr. RUSSELLThe boundary line has been drawn with a view to separating the normal part of the country not affected by disease from that part in which outbreaks have taken place. The Department had either to agree to such an arrangement or to have the live stock of the whole country excluded from British ports.
§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he will represent to the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries that the port of Drogheda is the natural outlet for exported stock from the county of Meath; that the present line Regulations deprive the greater portion of that county from the use of the port and compels them to travel their stock to Dublin for shipment to the same port on this side that they could reach at much less expense from Drogheda; and whether he will redress the grievance?
§ Mr. RUSSELLI hope it will very soon be possible to alter, it not to remove, the line referred to.
§ Mr. DUFFYasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) if his attention has been directed to the failure of the late fair at Kilcornan, Isle of Arran, Galway; whether the Board can offer any facilities to these islanders to dispose of their stock; and whether, in view of the high class of cattle raised on the islands, and the fact that foot-and-mouth disease was never known to exist there, he will take steps to afford facilities for the transport of the islanders' stock to the markets in England?
§ Mr. RUSSELLThe reported failure of the fair in question has been noticed with regret. The matter is not, however, one within the Department's control. The present Regulations allow of Arran Islands' 1611W cattle being shipped to Great Britain, but buyers may have been reluctant to attend this remote fair owing to the circumstance that the exclusion of the Irish animals by many of the British local authorities has for the time being very much reduced the demand for store cattle for export.