§ Mr. LUNNasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture whether his officers are aware that the United States Department of Agriculture considered that certain outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease which took place in the United States in 1902–3 and in 1908 were due to the use of vaccine farms of contaminated vaccine lymph; and whether his officers have made any investigations 1365W with a view to ascertaining if the recent outbreaks of that disease in this country are attributable to the introduction of contaminated vaccine lymph from countries where that disease is prevalent?
Sir A. BOSCAWENYes, Sir. The officials of the Board of Agriculture and also those of the late Local Government Board followed with the greatest interest the investigations carried out in the United States as to the cause of certain1366W outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in 1902–3 and in 1908. It was accepted, after the inquiries were complete, that foot-and-mouth infection had been brought to the United States of America from Japan by vaccine lymph. In every case that has occurred in this country since that date careful inquiry by the Board's officials has shown that the possibility of vaccine lymph being the source of the disease must be excluded.